Welcome to the WKU Department of English!

We stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement

The WKU English Department stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and those who seek to do meaningful and transformative antiracist work. African American and Black diasporic writers have long turned to literature to tell their stories and draw together their communities, testify to the brutality of systemic racism and white supremacy in the United States and the former colonies, and galvanize social change. At a time when we are called upon to deepen our understanding of the complex workings of racism and white supremacy, literature by Black writers is a critical tool in the anti-racist toolbox. It also provides powerful narratives of love, hope, and resilience in the face of great adversity – narratives that are necessary for the long struggle for racial justice that lies ahead of us.  

 

But reading is not enough. WKU English commits to turning all the tools at our disposal—reading, writing, teaching, communication, and thinking through the study of language, literature, and culture from diverse voices and perspectives—to the work of building a WKU community more inclusive of our BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) students, faculty, and staff and to the fight for social and racial justice.

English Department News and Events

Joan Romano Shifflett, winner of 2020 Warren-Brooks Award, to give Book Prize Le...

Apr 22nd, 2021

Joan Romano Shifflett, winner of 2020 Warren-Brooks Award for her book Warren, Jarrell, and Lowell: Collaboration in the Reshaping of American Poetry, will give a lecture at the...

View Article

Congratulations to MFA in Creative Writing Alumna Lauren Haynes for Successful L...

Apr 20th, 2021

Lauren Haynes, from Madison, Va., graduated from WKU’s Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program in August 2020. She recently received the impressive results of her...

View Article

Senior Hanna Van Winkle Co-Directs 2020-2021 Midnight on the Hill

Apr 20th, 2021

WKU’s 2020-2021 Midnight on the Hill campaign raised $80,608 for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. Professional Writing major Hanna Van Winkle served as the...

View Article

Featured Profiles

Student Profile

Meet Adrianna Waters!

Faculty Profile

Meet Dr. Nancy Dinan!

Alumni Profile

Meet Craig Dezern!

From Left to Right, Top to Bottom: Dr. Elizabeth Winkler, Professor Rick Thompson, Kimberly Nessler, Mary Johnson, Dr. Alex Poole, Professor Jessica Folk, Dr. Dawn Winters, Dr. Trini Stickle, Professor Megan Miller, Dr. Merrall Price, Dr. Sandra Hughes, Dr. Kelly Reames, Dr. Wes Berry, Dr. Niko Endres, Dr. David Bell, Dr. Alison Langdon, Professor Tim Brotherton, Dr. Angela Jones, Dr. Tom Hunley, Dr. Gillian Knoll, Dr. Cheryl Hopson, Dr. Marla Zubel, Dr. Alison Youngblood, Dr. David LeNoir, Professor Terry Elliott, Dr. Deborah Logan, Dr. John Conley, Dr. Ted Hovet, Professor Marya Turley, Dr. Daniel Liddle, Professor Debra Hays, Professor Felicia Stinson, Dr. Rob Hale, Professor Trish Jaggers, Dr. Jane Fife, Dr. Dawn Hall, Dr. Judith Szerdahelyi, Professor Fabian Alvarez, Dr. Jane Olmsted, Dr. Dale Rigby.