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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
English alumna Mal Alder (’13) sits down with Erin Cantrell (’25) to discuss her business, Alderwood Creative, and how her time at UT taught her the skills she needed to own and found her own business. Erin Cantrell: What inspired you to start Alderwood Creative, and how did you take the first step? Mal Alder: […]
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 […]
English Alum Amien Essif discusses how English prepared him for a career in journalism through telling human stories. Erin Cantrell: What was your career path from an undergraduate student in Knoxville to becoming Special Correspondent with Deutsche Welle? Amien Essif: After I graduated from UTK, I spent the summer of 2012 writing a cover story […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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.
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.
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]