From English Major to UT Press Director: Katie Hannah
When recently appointed University of Tennessee Press Director Katie Hannah first switched to English Literature as a major during her sophomore year at the University of Mississippi, she had no idea her decision would lead her into the publishing industry.
“I was majoring in Broadcast Journalism, and I was learning to write shorter, and shorter and shorter in that major. In my English classes, I was learning to expand and use my critical thinking skills … So I switched majors at that time and wound up getting a master’s degree in English,” Hannah said.
Hannah would go on to write her master’s thesis on Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, inspired by the female agency that she observed in this novel’s protagonist, Janie Mae Crawford, who “pulls in her horizon like a great fish-net.” She credits her direct path into the publishing industry to her undergraduate and graduate studies in English, while also emphasizing just how important critical thinking skills are across all career paths.
“Having the master’s degree I think was really instrumental in helping me to get my first job in publishing. There are a lot of different majors in publishing, but a lot of us are English majors. Obviously, the ability to communicate well, the ability to analyze and do close reading, all of that stuff comes directly from the major.”
Some of Hannah’s goals as director of an academic press include examining the full publishing program and areas that are thriving such as Appalachian Studies and African American Religion, increasing revenue from sales and donations to sustain nonprofit services and better supporting the student population, starting this year with an internship by a current English major and with more openings in the near future (announced on News You Can Use).
“We want to bring in more students, help students to understand the publishing industry and give them hands-on opportunities. So, we’re hoping to start a publishing lab, which will give students the opportunity to actually make books.”
While the internship program is just starting up, Hannah hopes to create a sequence of internships to allow students to participate in each step of the publishing process from start to finish. She plans to ultimately transition one of UT Press’ open-access imprints, Newfound Press, into an entirely student-run venture under the guidance of the Press.
“That would allow those students to go from finding the manuscripts, evaluating those manuscripts, editing them, designing them, producing them and promoting them … That will give those students a kind of hands-on, practical experience that I don’t think has been available before here at UT, and really, is not available in the Southeast.”
When asked what she believes students can take away from the UT Press internship program, Hannah explained that while almost all publishing employees are avid readers, it is also necessary to gain competency in the business and math strategies essential to understanding publishing work.
“The reason for a college education is to learn to think and to be able to communicate with others, so [English] is a great major to have.”
She encourages all majors to think through the practical application of their degree and what they plan to do with their skills prior to graduation. Hannah quotes Henry David Thoreau on this point, explaining that if an individual wants to build their castles in the air, they also need to make sure that there is a foundation established underneath.
Hannah is just one example of where a background in English can lead you. She welcomes students with questions about the publishing industry to contact her.
For more information about English Careers, visit our Careers and Internships page or schedule a consultation with English Director of Career Development, Dr. Erin Elizabeth Smith.