Welcome from The Department Head

Misty Anderson, Department Head, University of Tennessee, Department of English

On behalf of all of us, I want to thank you for your interest in the department. Whether you are one of our many alumni, a current student, a faculty member, or just curious about what we do, we want to engage with you. Our recent video for the College of Arts and Sciences welcome gives you a little taste of who we are right now, and we look forward to hearing your story as well.

We are looking forward to being back on campus but will still host some of our larger events online via Zoom or on our YouTube channel, where we welcome visitors to these sessions. We have poetry readings, lectures, workshops, and more. You can find events on our departmental events calendar or see our larger public events on the UT calendar. Our scholarship, teaching, and service are taking exciting new forms, including new partnerships with Austin-East High School, the YWCA’s Phyllis Wheatley Center, Knox County Schools, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the UT Humanities Center, and Oak Ridge National Labs.

Nancy Henry holds an outdoor class at the Humanities Amphitheatre on September 09, 2020. Photo by Steven Bridges/University of Tennessee

We have a transformative new Diversity Plan, growing collaborations with K-12 education, and plans for much more. We’ll also be engaging our alumni who have stepped up to serve as mentors for our current students through a pilot program that continues this year. Please make sure we know how to reach you by signing up here.

You can read our newsletter here, sign up to receive the weekly Friday email from the Head, or just receive general alumni mailings. We’ll also have regular features on the website to showcase our faculty, students, and speakers, as well as content on Twitter, Instagram, and our Facebook page.

It’s an extraordinary year, and we invite you to take advantage of all the virtual ways of engaging with us over book groups, speakers, and special lectures. Every day proves the urgent need for imagination and joy, the power of storytelling, and the transformative power of empathy. English as a discipline has what students and the world are asking for. We’re honored to be part of an intellectually rich, life-giving tradition, and we look forward to being in touch.

Best,