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Jazzthetic Technique: Oralizing Fiction and Jazz Strategies in Toni Morrison’s Jazz

Abstract: Toni Morrison represents the improvisations of life in the 1920s and posits her novel Jazz as a work that negotiates sound as a distinguishing characteristic of her writing genre. Many critics have described Morrison’s approach as a Jazzthetic strategy and as such, her rhetorical move enables a renovation of traditional aspects of the novel to render life as complex as a jazz composition itself. This article analyzes Morison’s methods and posits the use of jazz strategies to mimic the displacement… read more »

Meet Poet Toby Martinez de las Rivas, Blackburn Artist in Residence

Poet Toby Martinez de las Rivas will join the Duke English Department this Fall as the 2023-24 Blackburn Artist in Residence. He recently joined sophomore English major Trisha Santanam via Zoom to discuss the course he is teaching this Fall, English 290S.4.01: "Word & Image." English major Trisha Santanam interviews Poet Toby Martinez de las Riva, 2023-24 Blackburn Artist in Residence read more »

Meet Professor Chris Ouma

In the Fall of 2023, Professor Chris Ouma will join the Duke English faculty. Recently Prof. Ouma sat down, via Zoom, with sophomore English major Trisha Santanam to discuss the course he will be teaching this Fall, "Small Magazines & African Literary Modernity." His course is one of English's 101S - "Art of Reading" gateway courses taught this Fall. English major Trisha Santanam interviews Professor Chris Ouma read more »

Hot Off the Press: Summer Reading From Duke Authors

Summer is a great time to catch up on reading. Books from more than a dozen Duke authors offer insight on a range of topics – from gratitude for everyday life to the antislavery writings of Henry David Thoreau. Below is a roundup of some of the most recently published and soon-to-be-out titles. Many of the books, including new editions of previous titles, can be found on the “Duke Authors” display shelves near the circulation desk in Perkins Library. Some are available as e-books for quick download. Most can also be… read more »

Duke Names Third Class of Nakayama Scholars

Award encourages students to pursue careers in public service Five members of the Class of 2024 have been named to the third class of Nakayama Scholars.  The Nakayama Public Service Scholars for the Class of 2024: Nhu Bui is from Houston, Texas, and double majoring in environmental science and policy and English. She is also a Rachel Carson Scholar and loves spending her time at Duke researching a diversity of topics from shrimp biomechanics to sustainability practices… read more »

For the Climate and Sustainability Teaching Fellows, the Connections are Myriad

The first day of the inaugural Duke Climate and Sustainability Teaching Fellows’ weeklong workshop series is wrapping up when Alex Glass assigns homework to the assembled faculty participants: “Before tomorrow, I challenge you to come up with a topic from your course that you think doesn’t relate to climate change at all. Tomorrow we’ll discuss ways it does.” The Climate and Sustainability Teaching Fellows Program may be new, but for its three faculty co-leads — Charlotte Clark, Associate Professor of the Practice of… read more »

Studio Duke: A Year in Review 2022-23

English majors Tyler King, Sacha Seinfeld, Ruby Wang, and minor Sibani Ram were 2022-23 participants in the StudioDuke program. Two years ago, Recess covered StudioDuke, an application-based, year-long arts program where students work on a creative project with the help of a Duke alumni serving as their mentor. This year, twelve students participated in the program, several of whom presented their projects at the annual showcase. Here, in honor of several successful 2023 graduates and an incredible year for the… read more »

Duke Names Third Class of Nakayama Scholars

Five members of the Class of 2024 have been named to the third class of Nakayama Scholars.  The Nakayama Public Service Scholarship bolsters the university’s efforts to encourage students to use their Duke experience to engage with significant challenges facing communities around the world. The students represent multiple disciplines across Duke’s academic departments as well as a variety of future careers pursuits. Juniors Nhu Bui, Grace Endrud, Jacob Hervey, Chloe Nguyen and Ronit Sethi were chosen for their… read more »

Amber Manning, Ph.D. Candidate, 2023 Stephen Horne Excellence in Teaching Award Winner

Congratulations to Amber Manning, the winner of the 2023 Stephen Horne Award for Excellence in Teaching. The English Department at Duke University is excited to award Manning with this well-deserved honor. She was nominated by six students in her Fall 2022 English 208S.01 course, "Criticism and the Arts: No End in Sight." One student wrote in their nomination:   Amber Manning is one of the best professors I've had at Duke. Her class was extremely engaging, and she cared so deeply for her students. She… read more »

Professor McInnis’ “Zora Neale Hurston” Course

Most semesters, Duke English offers single-author courses that provide students with the opportunity to study a featured author in depth. During the Spring ’23 semester, “Zora Neale Hurston: Race, Gender, Region, Diaspora,” taught by Professor Jarvis McInnis, was one of these offerings. This course examines the life and work of Zora Neale Hurston, one of the preeminent writers of twentieth-century African American literature. Though best known as a novelist of the Harlem Renaissance, Hurston was also a formally trained… read more »

Three Students Honored as Faculty Scholars

Three undergraduate students who found an engaging intellectual topic and worked with Duke faculty to conduct original research that advances knowledge in that field were honored with Faculty Scholar Awards, the highest honor bestowed by university faculty on undergraduates. The award was established to highlight students with an exceptional record of independent research and scholarship and who show promise of a scholarly career. Marcos Hirai Catao is recognized for the study of the relationship between… read more »

2023-24 Blackburn Artist In Residence - Toby Martinez de las Rivas

Duke English is delighted to announce that Toby Martinez de las Rivas, a highly accomplished poet with an international profile, will be our Blackburn Artist in Residence for the 2023-24 academic year.  He will teach two creative writing courses each semester, beginning with English 110s and a special topics course on “Word and Image” English 290s-4 in the fall.  Martinez de las Rivas’ publications include two full collections. Black Sun (2018) was shortlisted for the Forward… read more »

Student Speakers Selected for Commencement Ceremony

This year’s student commencement speakers will be Trinity senior Kyle-Brandon “KB” Denis and M.D./Ph.D. candidate Dylan Eiger. They will deliver welcome remarks at the university-wide ceremony at 9.a.m. Sunday, May 14, in Wallace Wade Stadium. Denis and Eiger were chosen from among more than 350 nominees. The selection committee reviewed nominations for students who have facilitated a welcoming community for their peers through seen and unseen leadership roles, impacted the greater Durham area through engagement with… read more »

2023 Critical Essay & Department Award Winners

We are excited to announce the 2023 Critical Essay and English Department Award Winners. Congratulations to the following winners: Critical Essay Award:  Shourya Agarwal, ‘24 - “A Common Tongue” Zachary Partnoy, 26 -  “To Wit, To Woo” (Honorable Mention) The critical essay competition is open for essays written by any Duke undergraduate enrolled in an English department course. Stanley E. Fish Award for Outstanding Work in British Literature: … read more »

Rebecca Solnit Visits Duke English

Author, historian, and activist Rebecca Solnit, known for helping to make the term "mansplaining" popular, visited Duke on April 19. Her visit began with a workshop with Duke English creative writing students. It concluded with an evening reading and Q&A in the Rubenstein Library. During her visit, Solnit dropped pearls of wisdom that encouraged those who love writing and shared her passion for the fight against climate change.Students in my advanced workshop encountered Solnit's work at a few different stages in… read more »

Alum Brandon Williams Featured in Episode of “What Are You Going to Do With That?” Podcast

 In this episode, Brandon Williams, Duke English minor alum, describes how his African American studies major and English minor opened up new possibilities for his life and career. His story shows how deep reflection on the legacy of racism in the United States in humanities classrooms can prepare you to play a role in building a brighter and more equitable future. Learn how Brandon is making positive change in his community and beyond as a consultant for Frontline Solutions. read more »

2023 Duke English Creative Writing Contest and Scholarship Winners

Duke English is excited to announce our 2023 Creative Writing Contest and Scholarship awardees. Congratulations to the following students:   Camden Chin ’26 for “Value of a Dollar” and “Harold”Anne Flexner Memorial Award for Fiction. Family members and friends of former English student Anne Flexner (1945) established the Anne Flexner Memorial Award for Creative Writing to recognize undergraduates for their work in fiction and poetry.… read more »

Spring 2023 Fiction Open House

Duke English recently hosted its Spring "Fiction Open House," focused on Master of Fine Arts (MFA) programs. A panel consisting of members of the department's creative writing sector: Professors Amin Ahmad, JP Gritton, Mesha Maren, Akhil Sharma, and English Ph.D. candidate Anya Lewis-Meeks, provided insight into MFA programs, writing paths without an MFA and fielded questions from the students in attendance. This "Fiction Open House" event offered undergrad writers in the Duke community a chance to ask about postgraduation… read more »