Hendrix’s Poetry Book Featured in State Series
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.
Meet and Greet with Playwright and Actor Ian Kelly
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 […]
Maria Edgeworth Letters Enter the Digital Age
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 […]
Finding Your Own Way: Austin L. Church On a Career in Freelancing
“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 […]
UT English to Hold Roundtable on Careers in Journalism
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. […]
A Scruffy Star on the Literary Map — Cormac McCarthy’s Knoxville
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.
Blessed are the Pets? Mary Dzon Discusses Francis of Assisi and the History of Saints and Pet Blessings
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 […]
You Will Be Forever Changed by the Writers You Meet
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 […]
Taylor Swift Literary Club Shimmers at 1st Meeting
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 […]
Academy of American Poets names Erin Elizabeth Smith Poet Laureate Fellow
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 […]
UTK English Department Remembers Cormac McCarthy
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 […]
Graduating English Major Sends a Love Letter to UT English Department
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 […]
Celebrate Graduate Creative Writing Award Winners at May 1st Reading
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
Two Torchbearers: English Majors Leading the Way
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 […]
Monica Brashears: From English Major to Novelist
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 […]
English’s Conley Young Writers’ Institute February 25th a success.
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 […]
UT Professor Goes to Cape Canaveral for Artemis Launch
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 […]
U.S. Poet Laureate, Former Professor Joy Harjo Receives Honorary Doctorate
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, […]