Mary Dzon, associate professor of English, has been awarded an exchange fellowship with Corpus Christi College at the University of Oxford in England. This fellowship is a one-month exchange opportunity during Oxford’s Trinity term (late spring) sponsored by the Huntington Library in San Marino, California. Dzon, researcher of medieval literary culture and spirituality, will […]
English alumna Taylor Phipps (ʼ09) sits down with Meghan Pinkston (Class of 2027) to discuss how her time at UT taught her the skills she needed to build her career in nonprofit work and serve as the Executive Director of A Step Ahead Foundation of East Tennessee. Meghan Pinkston: When you chose to major in English, did you know you […]
Mary Dzon, associate professor of English, has been awarded two fellowships for 2027. The first of the two competitive fellowships is the Visiting Fellowship at Clare Hall, University of Cambridge. This fellowship is awarded to scholars who have made significant impact in their fields of study, with an international reputation for publishing and intellectual achievement. […]
Urmila Seshagiri, professor of English and Distinguished Professor in Humanities, has been awarded the 2026 American Philosophical Society/ British Academy Research Fellowship. This highly competitive joint fellowship supports one to two months of research in archives and libraries in London and Cambridge, where she will work on her book Still Shocking: 21st Encounters with Modernism, currently […]
University of Tennessee English alumni Taylor Phipps and Chrystal Armstrong Brown join Dr. Erin Smith for a roundtable discussion on careers in nonprofits including types of nonprofit jobs, internships in the nonprofit space, how to prepare for the job market, and more. This online discussion took place on Tuesday, March 26th, please enjoy the video below. […]
English alumna Courtney Bergmeier (ʼ10) sits down with Meghan Pinkston (Class of 2027) to discuss how her time at UT taught her the skills she needed to build her career in entertainment and, eventually, become the Executive Director of the Bijou Theater. Meghan Pinkston: Why did you choose to major in English? Courtney Bergmeier: English was not my first […]
The English Department is proud to announce additional scholarships for our Summer 2026 English 491/591 courses. The class takes place July 13th to August 3rd. Applications are due Wednesday, February 25th, 2026 at 5 p.m. Dr. James E. Gill English Drama Travel Fund Scholarships Hodges Better English Fund Scholarships Criteria for Candidates: Full-time enrollment as […]
English alumna Karyn Adams (ʼ94) sits down with Meghan Pinkston (Class of 2027) to discuss how her time at UT taught her the skills she needed to build a career in business, politics, and more. Meghan Pinkston: When did you decide that you wanted to pursue a degree in English? What informed that decision? Karyn Adams: Writing is what I have always […]
An illustration from the Vernon Manuscript, from around 1400, shows the familiar motif of an ox and ass watching over the newborn Jesus. © Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford, CC BY-NC Mary Dzon, University of Tennessee Manger scenes displayed around Christmastime usually feature an ox and an ass beside the infant Jesus. According to the […]
English alumna Ellie Holcomb (’05) is an award-winning singer and songwriter who has performed and toured solo as well as with her husband and their band, Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors. She is also the author of multiple books. She recently talked to Professor Stan Garner about her experiences as an English major at UT […]
Stanton B. Garner Jr., the James Douglas Bruce Professor of English, was recently honored for developing the online course Literature and Medicine. Digital Learning recognized Garner as one of the 2025 Jumpstart Faculty Honorees who demonstrated exceptional creativity and dedication in developing online coursework over the past year.
University of Tennessee English alumni Leah Rang, Kyle Gray, and Dylan Platz joined Erin Smith for a roundtable discussion on careers in tech, including types of tech jobs, internships in tech, how to prepare for the job market, and more. This online discussion took place on Tuesday, September 30th, from 5:00–6:00 p.m. EST on Zoom. […]
English 491/591 is a three-week off-campus drama course offered during second Summer Session. The course carries three hours of credit at the 400 (undergraduate) level or the 500 (graduate) level. This year’s 491/591 will take place from July 13th to August 3rd. At the course’s beginning and end, students will get to experience Europe’s great summer […]
Please join in the English Department in celebrating our undergraduate scholarship winners for 2025–2026. Nathaniel Adams is a senior Creative Writing major and recipient of the Charles and Frances Mangam Merit Scholarship. The Old Hickory, Tennessee native enjoys bike riding and hiking, in addition to playing video games and watching movies in his spare time. […]
On May 28, 2025, the University of Tennessee’s Department of English welcomed 16 middle and high school teachers from Anderson, Blount, and Knox counties to its annual Stokely Conference on Teaching Writing. This year’s theme, “Making the Story Real: Supporting Literary and Rhetorical Research through Archives and Multimodal Composition,” brought together local educators dedicated to […]
Chancellor Plowman recently spoke to UT English about majoring in English as an undergraduate, how English majors have the skills employers need and desire, and the importance of pursuing your passions and developing your strengths.
In Fall 2025, Dr. Ziona Kocher (UTK 2022) will be returning to their home state of Florida to take on a coveted tenure-track professorship at Florida Atlantic University. Like most English Literature scholars, Kocher found the path to tenure-trackdom fiercely competitive, but today they credit their scholarship and mentorship within the UTK’s English Department with […]
The Department of English has honored the legacy of Frederick Douglas for the past seven years, an influential American abolitionist, writer, and orator. In February 2025, we held our annual “Frederick Douglass Day 2025” event which featured a series of keynote addresses, special collections exhibits, and our well-known Transcribe-a-Thon event. On February 11 and 13, […]
University of Tennessee English alumni Amanda Henneghan, Mal Alder, and Kara Orellana joined Dr. Erin Elizabeth Smith for a roundtable discussion on how their English degrees helped them in their future careers in business. This online discussion took take place on Wednesday, March 5th from 5:00-6:00 PM EST on Zoom. Amanda Henneghan is a native […]
What: Regency Ball featuring When: Saturday, February 15, 2025, 7-10 pm (Evening Ball); Sunday, February 16, 2025, 3pm-5pm (Matinee Ball) Where: Hoskins Hall, 1401 Cumberland Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37996 Tickets (available here): Other details:
University of Tennessee English alumni Karyn Adams, John Luke Bell, and Skikila Arniece Smith joined Dr. Erin Elizabeth Smith for a roundtable discussion on how their English degrees helped them in their future careers in education, including in areas of teaching, curriculum development, and higher ed strategies and consulting. This online discussion took place on […]
Starting in January 2025, visitors to the McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture will see new representations of Native Nations that use contemporary art to tell the stories of people who are still alive now and not relics of the past.
The College of Arts and Sciences community gathered for the second annual Fall Book Party this month, celebrating 17 book-length works published in 2023 and 2024 by faculty members in the Division of Arts and Humanities and by colleagues in the Department of Anthropology and the Department of Geography and Sustainability.
Fictional books on private investigators hold invaluable clues about justice and how the world works. iStock / Getty Images Plus Sally C. Harris, University of Tennessee Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching. Title of course: Whodunit?: Detective Stories What prompted the idea for the course? I […]
UT College of Arts and Sciences faculty, staff, and campus and community colleagues gathered Thursday, October 17 to celebrate the 2024 Alumni and Philanthropy Awards, honoring the exceptional achievements and contributions of Volunteers for Life whose dedication and generosity help shape the future of the college and its students.
Cormac McCarthy scholars and enthusiasts had a rare opportunity in Knoxville this month to reflect on the award-winning author’s influences and impact.
During fall break, Lecturer Raye Hendrix in the Department of English served as a visiting artist at another university, reading from and discussing her first book of poetry.
The Department of English was stunned this week by the sudden death of our colleague and friend Dr. Tom Haddox, who suffered a fatal accident last Sunday, October 13, while running in a local park. Dr. Haddox grew up in Semmes, Alabama, and obtained his BA at Tulane University. From 1994 to 1996 he studied […]
English 491/591 is a three-week off-campus drama course offered during second Summer Session. The course carries three hours of credit at the 400 (undergraduate) level or the 500 (graduate) level. This year’s 491/591 will take place from July 14th to August 4th. At the course’s beginning and end, students will get to experience Europe’s great summer […]
Professor Gichingiri Ndigirigi, Department of English, was named president of the African Literature Association (ALA) at the group’s 2024 conference, held in May in Louisville, Kentucky.
To create her next poetry collection, Iliana Rocha spent almost three weeks this summer conducting what she calls “boots on the ground” fieldwork across Texas. She reviewed police reports, talked to locals, and visited sites where Latinx women had been the victims of domestic violence. Her research took her to a canal where elementary teacher […]
Please join in the English Department in celebrating our undergraduate scholarship winners for 2024–2025. Andrew Adorbo is a recipient of the Charles and Frances Mangam Merit Scholarship. The Claremont, California native is a senior English major who enjoys traveling (especially to the beach), hiking, and photography. Senior Technical Communications major Ella Barton is one of […]
UT’s Judith Anderson Herbert Writing Center has long been a valuable campus resource for students needing guidance on first-year composition themes and tricky upper-level thesis transitions.
by Amy Beth Miller Playwright Ian Kelly has always been intrigued by the question of what someone living in times of political polarization, repression, or war would do. His new work The Gates of Kiev explores that through the story of one of the 20th century’s greatest pianists, who publicly defied Soviet leader Josef Stalin. […]
As we look back on this momentous year from across the fence of summer, we have much to celebrate, as well as a few wistful memories. We bid a happy retirement to five of our long-time colleagues at a year-end celebration: Lance Dean, Laurie Knox, Mary Papke, Rob Stillman, and Richard Yost. PhD and soon-to-be […]
by Randall Brown Stephen Hay, from Greeneville, Tennessee, built a standout Vol experience double majoring in English and religious studies and minoring in the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Program. He has maintained a steady pace with this mix of studies, delivering substantial scholarship to close out his senior year. “I am currently working on my […]
Knoxville, TN: On Wednesday April 24th from 12PM-1PM, writer and actor Ian Kelly will join students and faculty for a Q&A session on the life of a professional writer in the world of theater and film. Ian Kelly is a multi-award-winning author and actor, a New York Times bestselling historical biographer, and a screenwriter and […]
Interview EARLY AMERICAN PODCAST Autumn Hall, a junior English major focusing on literature and creative writing, interviewed Professors Riché Richardson, Angelyn Mitchell, Michelle Hite, and Dana Williams for the Early American Podcast to discuss their work on Toni Morrison’s A Mercy. Take a listen!
Dr. Hilary Havens along with colleagues at Wake Forest, Texas A&M, and Xavier University of Louisiana are collaborating on a comprehensive open-access digital archive of Maria Edgeworth’s letters. Edgeworth was an Anglo-Irish Regency author who is best known for her novels and children’s literature. Through the help of volunteers and experts from multiple libraries, over […]
Dr. Daniel Wallace spoke with two alumni about how studying English impacted their medical careers. University of Tennessee English alumni Carolyn Thompson and Nicole Matis joined Daniel Wallace for a roundtable discussion on how their English degrees helped them in their future careers in medicine. Carolyn C. Thompson, MD, is a Board-certified OB/Gyn with over […]
Misty Anderson, professor and head of the UT Department of English, received the academic outreach award for teaching from the College of Arts and Sciences during the 2023 Faculty Convocation. Since joining UT in 1996, Anderson has sought to make an impact not only in scholarship about the 18th century, but through her active collaborations […]
On Saturday, February 17th, well dressed lords and ladies descended on Hoskins Library for an immersive experience that would have wowed even the stoic Mr. Darcy. In collaboration between the University of Tennessee English Department and First Take Co., Hoskins Library was transformed into a ballroom filled with some of Austen’s most beloved characters, dancing, […]
“A freelancing career thus looks like a continuous process of strategic discomfort. You have to be willing to do things you’re not good at because being not good for a while is the only path to getting better.” Austin L. Church (MA ’08) is a writer, marketing consultant, and business coach. He started freelancing in […]
We are delighted to celebrate three alumni from English at this year’s 40 under 40 luncheon. The Volunteer 40 Under 40 recognizes forty alumni under the age of 40 who have excelled personally and professionally since completing their degree at UT Knoxville.
Join University of Tennessee English alumni Claire Dodson, Daniel Dassow, and Christopher Moyer for a roundtable discussion on how their English degrees helped them in their future careers in journalism. This online discussion will take place on Thursday, April 4th from 5:00-5:30 PM EST on Zoom. Log in to join the conversation at http://tiny.utk.edu/englroundtable. P. […]
Join University of Tennessee English alumni Carolyn Thompson and Nicole Matis for a roundtable discussion on how their English degrees helped them in their future careers in medicine. This online discussion will take place on Thursday, March 7th from 5:00-5:30 PM EST on Zoom. Log in to join the conversation at http://tiny.utk.edu/englroundtable. Carolyn C. Thompson, […]
In February 2024, thousands of people will celebrate Douglass Day, an annual event held to celebrate the birthday of Frederick Douglass. Members of the public are invited to join this celebration by joining us at the University of Tennessee for a series of events to honor Douglass and to contribute to Black literary history! The […]
University of Tennessee English alumni Jasmine Johnson and J. Scott Rose joined Director of Career Development Dr. Erin Elizabeth Smith for a roundtable discussion on how their English degrees helped them in their future careers in law. Jasmine Johnson was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. She earned a B.A. in English, summa cum laude, […]
What: Jane Austen Regency Ball featuring When: Saturday, February 17, 2024, 7-10 pm Where: Hoskins Hall, 1401 Cumberland Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37996 Tickets (available here): Other details:
Brooks Clark, UTK MFA 2016, delves into the connection between Cormac McCarthy and Knoxville through his literary works in the Fall 2023 issue of the Torchbearer. Clark speaks with Bill Hardwig following McCarthy’s death to discuss Knoxville’s recent embrace of one of its native sons.
Lisa Michelle King, University of Tennessee Too often, K-12 social studies classes in the U.S. teach a mostly glossed-over story of U.S. settlement. Textbooks tell the stories of adventurous European explorers founding colonies in the “New World,” and stories of the “first Thanksgiving” frequently portray happy colonists and Native Americans feasting together. Accounts of the colonies’ battle […]
UTK English is excited to announce two new searches for assistant or associate professors in both Medieval literature and Early American Literature, who bring additional areas of strength in some of the following areas: medical humanities, digital humanities, global perspectives, environment and sustainability, and indigenous studies. We are interested in candidates with great scholarly promise, […]
English 492, New York Drama, Spring 2024 puts you in New York City from March 9 to 17, during UT’s spring break. In this theatre-intensive off-campus course, we will see eight plays in a variety of venues, from experimental theaters to major Broadway houses. Selections so far include the major new musical Water for Elephants, […]
English 491/591 is a three-week off-campus drama course offered during second Summer Session. The course carries three hours of credit at the 400 (undergraduate) level or the 500 (graduate) level. This year’s 491/591 will take place from July 15th to August 5th. At the course’s beginning and end, students will get to experience Europe’s great summer […]
Published: October 3, 2023 8:31am EDT Mary Dzon, University of Tennessee Each year, if you happen to be in New York around Oct. 4, you may catch sight of something unusual: a whole menagerie of animals being welcomed into the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, from spaniels and parrots to even the occasional camel or cow. Since […]
Cormac McCarthy’s death focused attention on writing at UT. But a host of writers past and present mean there is more to Knoxville’s flourishing literary scene than McCarthy’s legacy. Written by Titus Chalk Cormac McCarthy’s death in June 2023 returned Knoxville to book-lovers’ minds. At the time of his death, the author of Suttree, No […]
Dr. John Han and senior English major Laura Snyder lead the inaugural meeting of the Taylor Swift Literary Club on Thursday, September 14th. The Daily Beacon interviewed the two in a recent article to discuss the club and the impact of Taylor Swift. The next meeting is set for Tuesday, October 12th from 5-6pm. For […]
Please join the UT English department in congratulating Erin Elizabeth Smith, Distinguished Lecturer in English, selected as a Poet Laureate Fellow by the Academy of American Poets. She is one of 23 laureates honored nationally by the Academy. Founded in 1934, the Academy promotes the reading and creation of poetry in America through a variety […]
Please join in the English Department in celebrating our undergraduate scholarship winners for 2023-2024. Charles and Frances Mangam Merit Scholarship winner Onyx Bard is a senior in Creative Writing. A Knoxville native, they enjoy traveling, stargazing, playing D&D; they also provide a foster home for cats through the local Humane Society. Ila June Bigham is […]
Bill Hardwig, University of Tennessee Cormac McCarthy, who died on June 13, 2023, at the age of 89, is often characterized rather narrowly as a Southern writer, or perhaps a Southern Gothic writer. McCarthy did lean heavily on his Tennessee upbringing in his first four novels, and he set many others in the deserts of the Southwest U.S. However, as a […]
Join us for a “Health Humanities” conversation in Fall of 2023 through courses, events, and alumni mentoring sessions with former UT English majors who became MDs, DVMs, or work in health-related professions or non-profits. Choose from classes like Disability and Literature (English 254), Medicine and Literature (English 342), AI and Nuclear Security (English 360), Horses […]
This story, written by Daily Beacon editor and senior English major Daniel Dassow, originally appeared in the Beacon on May 5, 2023. You can read the entire story here. When the nonprofit news site ProPublica launched The Repatriation Project in January, UT landed on a top-10 list that does not come with bragging rights. Out of all universities, museums, societies […]
Olivia Hayes, the Daily Beacon Senior Copy Chief, graduates as an English major in just a few weeks. Her love letter to UT and the UT English department, published in the Daily Beacon Opinion section on May 1, 2023, will warm your heart. Olivia wasn’t sure about UT at first, but her experiences outside and […]
Please join us to honor and celebrate the winners of our Graduate Creative Writing Awards on Monday, May 1 at 7:00 pm in the Hodges Library Auditorium. Michael Knight assures us that this will be the most exciting reading of the year! Poetry Fiction Creative Nonfiction
The English department congratulates seniors Pilar García and Daniel Dassow on their selection as 2023 Torchbearers. To have two English major Torchbearers is quite a feat, though we agree these two exceptional students were obvious choices. Pilar García serves as the President of Sigma Tau Delta and has dedicated untold hours to volunteering and creating […]
English PhD candidate Kelly Sauskojus, from the Rhetoric, Writing, and Linguistics division, has been recognized with two prestigious fellowships. She is the winner of a UT Humanities Center Graduate Fellowship for the 2023-2024 year. That fellowship comes with a graduate stipend, a complete release from teaching, and the support of the UTHC community of fellows. […]
Monica Brashears’ debut novel, House of Cotton, comes out this April. Monica Brashears (’19) double-majored in English (Creative Writing) and Africana Studies. Afterward, she enrolled in the creative writing program at Syracuse University, receiving her MFA in 2022. She grew up in Luttrell, TN, about 20 miles outside Knoxville. Her debut novel House of Cotton is set for publication […]
The Department of English proudly announces a new teaching award that celebrates the work of graduate student instructors. The David A. Hambright Teaching Award for Graduate Students commends excellence in teaching by honoring the valuable intellectual and pedagogical contributions of GTAs. In August 2022, the inaugural Hambright Award went to Madeline Crozier, a third-year English […]
What can you do with an English major? Whatever you want, says Vol Alumna Dr. Carolyn Thompson (’88), who graduated with a BA in English, attended medical school, and established a successful practice as an obstetrician-gynecologist. Her path from English to an MD is not unusual. Though English and other humanities majors constitute less than […]
The 2023 Bryan M. Conley Young Writers’ Institute gave area high school students a chance to explore and celebrate their creative gifts. The Young Writers’ Institute features free creative writing workshops for Tennessee students with an interest in developing their craft. Thanks to continued support from alum Bryan M. Conley, these workshops feature topics focusing […]
Chuck Maland delivered these beautiful remarks at the funeral of Joe Trahern on January 29, 2023. You can read the formal obituary at the Rose Mortuary website. Maland’s remarks capture some of what he contributed to the UT English department and to the lives of so many colleagues. Joe was kind, brilliant, humble, funny, and […]
Welcome to the December 2022 edition of the English Department News and Views. As you head off to a well-deserved winter break, it’s a time to review our accomplishments and be proud of each other’s successes. I was genuinely moved by reading the list below, which show the range, breadth, and depth of our collective […]
Senior English major Ivy Kiernan presented their research on crowdsourcing and open access at Discovery Day on September 13, which showcased undergraduate research at UTK. Kiernan’s presentation was related to their spring 2022 undergraduate research assistantship with Dr. Hilary Havens on the Maria Edgeworth Letters project (MELP), an open-access archive devoted to the correspondence of the […]
Margaret Dean is an English professor at the University of Tennessee and has authored multiple books on space travel. This article is a reproduction of the same found at at WBIR.com. Author: Vinay SimlotPublished: 5:55 PM EDT August 29, 2022Updated: 10:20 AM EDT August 30, 2022 KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — University of Tennessee English professor Margaret […]
Joy Harjo served as Chair of Excellence in Creative Writing from 2016–2018. This article is a reproduction of the same found at UTDailyBeacon.com. Daniel Dassow, Editor-in-Chief May 21, 2022 Updated Jun 1, 2022 On Saturday morning, UT conferred degrees on around 1,100 undergraduate students during the College of Arts and Sciences commencement in Thompson-Boling Arena, […]
NEH Humanities Collections and Reference Resources Foundations Grant $60,000 – awarded to Maria Edgeworth Letters, April 14, 2022 mariaedgeworth.org PIs: Jessica Richard, Wake Forest University; Hilary Havens, University of Tennessee, Knoxville; Susan Egenolf, Texas A & M; Robin Runia, Xavier University. Digital Team: Carrie Johnston and Heather Barnes, WFU; Meredith Hale, UTenn Advisory Board: Pamela Clemit, […]
Jessi Grieser, an associate professor of English linguistics at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, published a socio-linguistic book titled, The Black Side of the River. In her book, Professor Grieser takes a linguistics-based approach to explore the impact of gentrification on Black culture in a historically Black neighborhood in Washington, DC, through analysis of years […]
The Spotlight on First-Year Composition Series is a collection of interviews with some of our best and most experienced teachers in the English Department. Topics in this series include best grading practices, classroom management, and teaching strategies. In this first installment of this semester’s short revival of the series, Sally Harris discusses teaching online and […]
The Spotlight on First-Year Composition Series is a collection of interviews with some of our best and most experienced teachers in the English Department. Topics in this series include best grading practices, classroom management, and teaching strategies. In this second installment of this semester’s short revival of the series, Bre Lillie discusses teaching First-Year Composition, […]
In November, English major Will White traveled to Dublin to present a paper at the Global Undergraduate Awards; the paper had started as an assignment for professor Lisi Schoenbach’s English 398: Law and Literature class. Recently, Professor Schoenbach and Will sat down together to talk about the experience. Schoenbach: Let’s start by having you tell […]