NIU English Department

10/13/2026

🎉 Congratulations to Dr. Melissa Adams-Campbell, Mary Suzanne Schriber Endowed Professor of Literary Studies, on receiving a 2027 David W. Raymond Award for Use of Technology in Teaching!

Below, read how her Honors BookLab course, "Monsters and Makers: Frankenstein, Text, and Technology," brings together students from across disciplines to explore Mary Shelley’s iconic novel alongside modern "technologies of the word," including a focus on artificial intelligence and responsible uses of Generative AI in the classroom.

Interested in learning more about this innovative approach to teaching and learning? Join Dr. Adams-Campbell for a Zoom lecture on Friday, October 16, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. See the article for more information. 🧟‍♂️ 🤖📚⚡

09/30/2026

This weekend saw the release of the second part of Dr. Jeffrey Einboden, Presidential Research, Scholarship and Artistry Professor, on the “Islam and the Idea of America” podcast, where speaks on the Quran and the Giants of American Literature such as Emerson and Poe.

See the first part, where he speaks on his work from JEFFERSON’S MUSLIM FUGITIVES (Oxford UP, 2020), on the same channel and posted last week on our Facebook feed.

In the case you missed Part 1 of this fascinating conversation (Jef...

09/30/2026

📚 Literary Huskies, mark your calendars!

Join the Black Studies Program in association with University Libraries on October 7 from 3:00-5:00 p.m. in the Holmes Center Sky Room for LET BOOKS BE BOOKS: CELEBRATING BANNED BLACK AUTHORS.

This event will explore the history and impact of censorship in Black Studies - featuring an interactive discussion, hands-on banned-books craft stations, and refreshments.

09/29/2026

Today, NIU English's First-Year Composition program celebrated 41 years of CONTEMPORARY VOICES, the annual publication showcasing outstanding work by students in ENGL 103P: Rhetoric and Composition.

The celebration featured readings from both past and present student authors, followed by a reception in the Writers' Workshop.

A special thank you to Ellen Franklin, Nick Shumaker, Brandie Booker, Rosalind Bowers, Kay Gallo, and Dan Libman, as well as the students, faculty, alumni, and tutors who joined us to celebrate student voices. Hooray for Huskie writers! 📚✍️🎉

09/29/2026

NIU-BookLab is hosting monthly maker activities focused on wellbeing and wellness. These workshops will take place on the first Wednesday of every month from 10am-12pm at the lab, Founders Library Room 400. All are welcome!

09/24/2026

Thanks again to everybody who attended the Schriber Lectures last Thursday, celebrating the launch of the Dr. Mary Suzanne Schriber Endowed Professorship of Literary Studies and the Dr. Mary Suzanne Schriber Endowed Graduate Student Scholar Award.

See the flier below on more Dr. Mary Suzzane Schriber Endowed Activities for 2026-27, including a monthly writing group, a guest author visit by Tricia Renée Kucinski on November 12, and other Student Research and Creativity events.

09/24/2026

Watch Dr. Jeffrey Einboden, Presidential Research, Scholarship and Artistry Professor, on the “Islam and the Idea of America” podcast, where he speaks on his work from JEFFERSON’S MUSLIM FUGITIVES (Oxford UP, 2020).

Part II, where Dr. Einboden speaks on the Quran and the Giants of American Literature such as Emerson and Poe, will premier this Saturday on the same channel.

09/18/2026

📚✨ Yesterday, we were delighted to cohost the first History of the Book Seminar with the Rare Books Room, celebrating an exciting new chapter for the Mary Suzanne Schriber Scholars in Women’s Language and Literature Endowment.

The event began with remarks from English Department Chair Scott Balcerzak, on the lasting impact of Professor Emerita Mary Suzanne Schriber, whose trailblazing work helped shape feminist and gender literary studies at NIU. Attendees then enjoyed presentations from:

🔹 Professor Melissa Adams-Campbell, the first Mary Suzanne Schriber Endowed Professor of Literary Studies, who presented “Seduction and Scandal in the Stacks: Tracing Two Early American Bestsellers and Women's Circulating Textual Bodies.”

🔹 Karina Diaz, the Mary Suzanne Schriber Endowed Graduate Student Scholar (2026-2027), who presented “Mourning the Past, Grieving the Future: Finding the Latina Student in the American Campus Novel.”

The afternoon concluded with a small reception. Thank you all who attended both in person and online. Look for more announcements about Schriber Endowment Events!

Learn more about Dr. Mary Suzanne Schriber’s impact and the endowment that bears her name in the recent NIU Today story:
https://niutoday.info/2026/07/21/mary-suzanne-schriber-supports-student-and-faculty-success-through-endowment/

09/15/2026

English doctoral student Masuma Akter is profiled today in Huskie Spotlight, where she says, discusses her research in genre-based pedagogy in first year composition and discusses her experiences in our department as giving her “the space to explore ideas deeply, strengthen my writing and better understand the role language plays in shaping the world around us.”

Masuma Akter is an English doctoral student from Narsingdi, Bangladesh

09/04/2026

Join us as we celebrate an exciting new chapter for the Schriber Scholars in Women’s Language and Literature Endowment with the launch of the Dr. Mary Suzanne Schriber Endowed Professorship of Literary Studies and the Dr. Mary Suzanne Schriber Endowed Graduate Student Scholar Award.

🗓 Thursday, September 17
🕒 3:00 p.m.
📍 Founders Memorial Library 403

As part of the History of the Book Series, hear research from:

Dr. Melissa Adams-Campbell, Mary Suzanne Schriber Endowed Professor of Literary Studies, “Seduction and Scandal in the Stacks: Tracing Two Early American Bestsellers and Women's Circulating Textual Bodies”

Karina Diaz, Mary Suzanne Schriber Endowed Graduate Student Scholar, 2026-2027, “Mourning the Past, Grieving the Future: Finding the Latina Student in the American Campus Novel”

A reception will follow as we celebrate the accomplishments of Dr. Adams-Campbell and Karina Diaz and honor the lasting impact of Professor Emeria Mary Suzanne Schriber’s commitment to women’s and gender-focused literary studies at NIU.

Learn more about Schriber's legacy and this endowment in the recent NIU Today story: https://niutoday.info/2026/07/21/mary-suzanne-schriber-supports-student-and-faculty-success-through-endowment/