Virginia Tech English

Virginia Tech English This is designed to bring together all scholars, students, colleagues, and friends of English at Virginia Tech!

News, events, and social activities can be found here.

09/01/2026

As a new semester begins, English Club members share why they joined and what they’ve found by being part of this student community, from shared interests and thoughtful conversations to friendship and a sense of belonging.

English Club holds its first meeting of the semester tonight, Sept. 1, from 6–7 p.m. in Shanks 380.

Students of all majors and interests are welcome to come meet the group and learn more. We hope our faculty, alumni, families, and friends will help us spread the word to students this semester!

Video by Annie Terault, Spring 2026 Wrods & Pictures Correspondent

Please join us in welcoming the newest members of our Ph.D. program! Last week, our new doctoral students gathered for o...
08/29/2026

Please join us in welcoming the newest members of our Ph.D. program!

Last week, our new doctoral students gathered for orientation, where they learned more about the program, met members of our graduate community, and got ready for the semester ahead.

The week before classes is always filled with preparation, but it’s also an important time to reconnect and celebrate th...
08/28/2026

The week before classes is always filled with preparation, but it’s also an important time to reconnect and celebrate the people who make our department what it is.

Last week, English faculty and staff gathered for our department retreat, followed by our annual beginning-of-semester reception on Aug. 19 at the Hahn Horticulture Garden.

We had quite a few milestones to celebrate!

🎉 Katie Carmichael — promotion to professor

🎉 Cana Itchuaqiyaq and Tyechia Thompson — promotion to associate professor with tenure

🎉 Matthew Salesses — tenure at his current rank of associate professor

🎉 Spencer Bennington, Lily Corwin, and Tim Becker — promotion to advanced instructor

We also celebrated new and returning colleagues. Sophia Terazawa officially joins our tenure-track faculty as an assistant professor; Rachel Ewing joins us as a collegiate assistant professor; and Aidan Malanoski joins us as a postdoctoral researcher. We’re also delighted to welcome Paul Heilker, associate professor, back to the department from the Honors College.

They join the new faculty and staff we’ve introduced throughout the semester.

The evening also gave us an opportunity to celebrate Alice Kinder she begins retirement after many years of dedicated service as a senior instructor, and Eve Trager for her invaluable contributions as the department’s dedicated IT specialist. Also retiring is Steve Mooney.

The lessons that don't quite go as planned matter. Ask Jenna Zan about receiving the Department of English’s Joyce Gentr...
08/27/2026

The lessons that don't quite go as planned matter. Ask Jenna Zan about receiving the Department of English’s Joyce Gentry Smoot Award for exceptional teaching, and she’ll tell you it was a “much-needed confidence boost.”

Teaching can be humbling.

It’s easy to remember the lesson that didn’t land or the day that didn’t go quite as planned more vividly than the countless everyday moments when learning clicked. For her, the award was a reminder to give those successes just as much weight. Her students challenge her curriculum, keep her teaching fresh, and continually introduce new perspectives into the classroom.

“They keep me from feeling settled in my worldview. They keep me humble.”

From teaching stuffed animals with a crayon-written textbook as a child to helping Hokies discover their relationships with writing and language today, she has come a long way. We’re very glad the students talk back now.

Congratulations, Ms. Zan and thank you for reminding us that great teachers never stop being learners themselves.

Photo: Jenn Zan and Kelly Pender

➡️ https://news.vt.edu/articles/2026/08/clahs-engl-jenna-zan.html

There’s a new space for our English students in Shanks Hall! The English student lounge, located in 329 Shanks Hall, of...
08/26/2026

There’s a new space for our English students in Shanks Hall! The English student lounge, located in 329 Shanks Hall, offers students a comfortable, peaceful place to study, read, recharge between classes, or connect with others in the department.

We’re grateful to our advisor, Dawn Knight, whose efforts made this new student space possible.

Faculty, please spread the word to your students and encourage them to stop by. We’re excited to see this space become part of their everyday life in Shanks Hall!

08/24/2026

New classes, new faces, new routines, and a frantic search for the right classroom. James Duncan, a Virginia Tech sports media and analytics alumnus and member of the Spring 2026 Words & Pictures team, looks back on the chaos of his first day and shares a few lessons learned along the way.

Great events! See you there?
08/20/2026

Great events! See you there?

Another reason to celebrate our amazing alumni! Shaina Phenix (Jones), who earned her M.F.A. in Poetry from Virginia Tec...
08/12/2026

Another reason to celebrate our amazing alumni! Shaina Phenix (Jones), who earned her M.F.A. in Poetry from Virginia Tech in 2021 and has been named a 2026 Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellow by the Poetry Foundation!

She is now an assistant professor of English at Elon University and the author of "To Be Named Something Else," winner of the 2023 Miller Williams Poetry Prize.

We’re are especially proud to call her a Hokie. Congratulations, Shaina!

Learn more about Shaina and the 2026 Poetry Fellows: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/articles/1815505/poetry-foundation-announces-the-2026-ruth-lilly-and-dorothy-sargent-rosenberg-poetry-fellows

Some news is worth celebrating twice. While many in our community already know Sophia Terazawa, we’re excited to make i...
08/11/2026

Some news is worth celebrating twice. While many in our community already know Sophia Terazawa, we’re excited to make it official: she is now an assistant professor in the Virginia Tech Department of English!

Previously a visiting professor in our department, she has already been an important part of our community, and we are so happy she’s continuing her journey with us in this new role.

The fifth-annual SEE VT Summer Camp, sponsored by the Center for Rural Education, was held in June. The camp brought tog...
08/05/2026

The fifth-annual SEE VT Summer Camp, sponsored by the Center for Rural Education, was held in June. The camp brought together middle schoolers from around the region to learn, examine, and reflect on what it means to live (and thrive) in rural communities.

For a second year, Advanced Instructor Ingrid Johnson and Ph.D. student Casey Cockrum led “Calling All Cryptids! The Weird and Wonderful Creatures of Appalachian Storytelling.” In this literature-based course, students learned about cryptids that are “native” to Appalachia, focusing on their origin stories, geographic locations, and legacies. They investigated why these creatures exist in these places and what they can tell us about the people residing there and the communities they represent. They also considered what cryptids offer in terms of generational storytelling and identity creation. Throughout the week, campers created cryptids for their hometowns and displayed them at the end-of-camp showcase. A wonderful – and spooky – time was had by all!

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