Associate Professor Vessela Valiavitcharska has been awarded a fellowship at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) in Princeton, New Jersey, for the 2026–27 academic year. Learn more: english.umd.edu/news/english...

Five English majors had the chance to do good this summer with support from the Daniella Odutola Memorial Internship Fund which provides $1,000 scholarships to help students pursue summer internships. Meet this year's recipients: english.umd.edu/news/daniell...

Meet Department of English Chair Lee Konstantinou. As he begins this new role, he's focused on strengthening the support that allows faculty, staff and students to do their best work while guiding the department through the opportunities and challenges ahead.

In 2004, a young English major approached Professor Michael Olmert with an unusual request: Would he write the foreword to a self-published poetry chapbook? Read more: english.umd.edu/news/newly-r...

Congratulations to Professor Barry Pearson on the release of “Classic Blues” from Smithsonian Folkways! This collection brings together legendary blues artists to celebrate the rich legacy and enduring influence of the blues. The collection also features extensive liner notes by Pearson.

A new Forbes analysis of LinkedIn data ranked English among the most versatile college majors, with a 69% versatility score, highlighting graduates' ability to build careers across a wide range of industries. Learn more: www.forbes.com/sites/courtn...

Spend an evening with bestselling author Lisa See on June 16 at the Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center in Silver Spring, presented by @peoplesbooktakoma.com RSVP: withfriends.co/event/279062... Students attend free: withfriends.co/event/279698...

6/16 - Lisa See for Daughters of the Sun and Moon by People's Book

Get tickets and support People's Book by becoming a member

withfriends.co

Distinguished Professor Mary Helen Washington reflects on the legacy of Paule Marshall in an interview with Yale University Press. Read the interview: yalebooks.yale.edu/2026/06/05/p...

Spend an evening with bestselling author Lisa See on June 16 at the Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center in Silver Spring, presented by @peoplesbooktakoma.com RSVP: withfriends.co/event/279062... Students attend free: withfriends.co/event/279698...

6/16 - Lisa See for Daughters of the Sun and Moon by People's Book

Get tickets and support People's Book by becoming a member

withfriends.co

Earlier this month, we celebrated the faculty who make our department thrive!

If you missed the ARHU commencement ceremonies last week, don't worry! You can view photos and watch the livestream, which includes the speech from undergraduate commencement speaker and English alum Jason Reynolds '05. arhu.umd.edu/arhu-commenc...

Of the many students graduating this week, Sydney Alexandria Mitchell ’26 leaves behind a world shaped by storytelling and community. Read more about Mitchell: english.umd.edu/news/sydney-...

English major Noora Ghahremani ’26 has been named the University Medalist. Learn more about her accomplishments: today.umd.edu/a-close-obse...

From centuries-old math practice books to early Shakespeare play advertisements, Jessica Reed ’26 is getting hands-on experience with rare materials at the Folger Shakespeare Library. Read more: english.umd.edu/news/english...

Last week’s final Writers Here and Now of the semester celebrated our MFA graduates. Congratulations to Elizabeth Bryant ’26, Arielle Heiman ’26, Taína ’26, Annie Przypyszny ’26, and January Santoso ’26 We’re so proud of you and can’t wait to see where your writing takes you next.

Please join us tomorrow (April 15) at noon for the annual Vambery Lecture from Professor of English and Comparative Literature Gerard Passannante. The lecture is titled "The Puritan and the Gambler." Learn more english.umd.edu/events/vambe...

This week, Creative Writing alum joined us for Writers Here and Now. Clare Banks M.F.A ’02, Megan Howell M.F.A. ’20, L. S. McKee M.F.A. ’05, and Flora Qian M.F.A. ’16 joined students Somto Ihezue ’27 and Annie Przypyszny ’26 for a Q&A followed by a reading from each of their recent works.

This week, we celebrated the book launch for John Drabinski. Special thank you to Michael Sawyer for guiding the conversation and to the John B. Slaughter Endowment Series and the Center for Literary and Comparative Studies for sponsoring.

Congratulations to Sarah Rupprecht ’28, an English major with a minor in business, who has been awarded the Jack Godfrey Memorial Scholarship. This merit-based award provides financial support to an undergraduate who demonstrates a strong passion for learning and creative writing at UMD.

In Adam Lloyd’s “Business Writing” course, students create work for real companies. In Fall 2025, students partnered with Ferretly, a social media screening firm, to write blog posts on AI ethics, responsible screening and industry-specific concerns. Read more: english.umd.edu/news/profess...

Last week, graduate students gathered in Tawes for the 19th Annual Graduate English Organization’s Conference titled “Epistemologies & Pathways to Knowledge.”

Professor Kellie Robertson has been elected President of the New Chaucer Society and will step into the role in July 2026 at the biennial congress in Freiburg, Germany. The New Chaucer Society is an international organization dedicated to advancing the study of medieval culture.

Earlier this week, Canadian-American journalist and author Vauhini Vara joined us for the second session of the Ways to Meet AI series sponsored by UMD Arts for All and The Studio for Literary Technology. Vara read from her book "Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age."

Bhanu Kapil joins us for the next lecture in the Bebe Koch Petrou Lecture Series. Kapil is an award-winning writer and will present her talk titled “Notes on the Perimeter.” english.umd.edu/events/bebe-koch-petrou-lecture-writing-environmental-humanities-bhanu-kapil

Join ARHU Dean Stephanie Shonekan and a panel of ARHU experts for an engaging pop-up roundtable discussion on war and its impact on communities, democracies and futures. March 12 | 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. | Taliaferro Hall Learn more: arhu.umd.edu/events/arhu-...

Join us virtually on March 23 to discuss Sandra Newman's "Julia," a retelling of George Orwell's "1984." english.umd.edu/events/alumn...

Giving Day is finally here! Help support the meaningful work happening in the English Department. Give today! #GivingDayUMD givingday.umd.edu/campaigns/de...

Give to Department of English | Giving Day

I’m ready to support Department of English on March 4, 2026 during Giving Day. Learn more about Department of English

givingday.umd.edu

Giving Day is next Wednesday (Mar 4). When you support the UMD English Department, you’re supporting students who are doing meaningful work right now in seminars, workshops, internships, research projects, and study abroad programs.

ARHU faculty gathered in Tawes for “Imagining Otherwise: A Panel Discussion on Environmental Futures and the Humanities.” The conversation centered on how the humanities help us rethink environmental futures, especially the slow, uneven harms that often go unseen in science and policy.

Thanks to everyone who joined us for Writers Here and Now! K. Iver read poems from their book "Short Film Starring My Beloved’s Red Bronco." Lena Valencia shared from her short story collection "Mystery Lights." Thanks to MFA students Jupiter Berrysmith and Arielle Heiman for their introductions.