KU Department of English

10/14/2026

KU's Beta Alpha Eta Chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, an international English honor society, held their first induction ceremony on Sunday, October 4th. Congratulations to all newly inducted members!

Photo Captions (Left to Right, Top to Bottom):
1. Kate Barnard and Alexander Figueroa-Castro, new inductees, pose with their certificates and the chapter charter.
2. New inductees take the oath of membership.
3. Chair Laura Mielke, chapter advisor Misty Schieberle, and the newly inducted members.
4. Chapter officers and advisor, Nora Colwell, Kohana Mehl-McKee, Carsten Berend, Linnea Larson, Lilian Haney, Madison Kelly, Misty Schieberle
5. Griffin Estes is recognized as a member of Sigma Tau Delta by Carsten Berend and Kohana Mehl-Mckee

10/13/2026

The Undergraduate Reading Series offers advanced undergraduate creative writers in KU’s English department the opportunity to share their work in public, before a wider audience. At the October 9th session, KU English students (left to right) Audrey Glynn, Chloe Bartlett, and Hoover Boone shared their work!

The Undergraduate Reading Series continues on November 20th and December 4th at 4:00 PM.

10/06/2026

SAGE Book Sale is happening today on Wescoe Beach.

Stop by today through Thursday to browse books, grab a baked good, and support SAGE!

Books start at $1.

10/05/2026

TONIGHT!

We’re excited to announce a screening of In Search of Phillis Wheatley Peters on Monday, October 5 at 7 PM in Watson Library, 3 West.

‘In Search of Phillis Wheatley Peters’ is a 35-minute short film that reveals the little-known love story of Phillis Wheatley —America’s first published Black poet and John Peters, a free Black man she married in 1778. Drawing from the groundbreaking scholarship of historian Dr. Cornelia Dayton, the film brings new archival discoveries to life, revealing the couple’s struggles for autonomy, dignity, and survival in Revolutionary-era Boston. Featuring insights from leading scholars and poets, the film reimagines Phillis not just as a literary icon, but as a woman who chose love, partnership, and resistance against extraordinary odds.

Following the screening, join us for a 30-minute virtual Q&A with the director and producer.

Free and open to the public.

Co-sponsored by KU English and African & African-American Studies.
Askew Pictures

10/02/2026

This looks like a great screening event by KU Department of English and KU African and African-American Studies on Monday, October. 5, 7pm at Watson Library! This 35min documentary shares the story of Phillis Wheatley Peters, America’s first published Black poet.

09/30/2026

KU alum and American Girl author Angela Cervantes will give a family-friendly talk on campus about Kansas storytelling and her Mexican American heritage.

09/30/2026

Christine Singleton was invited to Washington, D.C. as part of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture's (NMAAHC) Community Curation Program. While in D.C., Christine presented research she conducted through the Institute for Digital Research in the Humanities. Her presentation was titled "Call and Response through the Black Feminist Phone Tree: A Computational Analysis.

09/29/2026

KU English Sneak Peek Application Form:
https://tinyurl.com/ku-engl-sneak-peek26

Monday, November 9th, 2026

The English Department at the University of Kansas invites students considering graduate school in English to apply for a “Sneak Peek” day with all expenses paid.

Seven selected candidates will be flown out to KU’s beautiful Lawrence campus on Sunday, November 8th, and will spend that Monday getting to know English Department faculty, graduate students and the campus; lunch and dinner will also be provided. Participants will fly out of Kansas City on Tuesday morning to return home.

This is a wonderful opportunity to preview our graduate programs in literature, creative writing, and rhetoric and composition. Our graduate students have gone on to become university professors, published novelists and memoirists, and much more!

Located in Eastern Kansas, about 50 minutes from Kansas City, Missouri, the University of Kansas is based in Lawrence, a vibrant college town with a literary and music scene. The English Department prides itself on creating a welcoming and supportive climate in which our students feel they belong and can flourish; all our graduate students are fully funded—from MA and MFA to PhD—usually through GTAships. Our department is highly ranked among all graduate programs in English at public universities.

Please fill out the application form linked below (and available through the QR code) to apply for KU English Department's "Sneak Peek" event on Monday, November 8th. Deadline to apply is October 15th.

https://tinyurl.com/ku-engl-sneak-peek26

09/22/2026

KU alum and author of the most recent American Girl Doll book, Angela Cervantes, will return to KU to present "Stories That Connect Us: An American Girl Conversation." The family-friendly event at Kenneth Spencer Research Library will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, American Girl’s 40th anniversary, and the power of stories to connect people across generations.

Cervantes also commented on the Department of English, stating:

'As she progressed through her classes, Cervantes said she also found community and confidence in the Department of English. “It was a poetry class that really made me feel like I had a place and like my voice could be heard,” Cervantes said. “These teachers were very patient, spent lots of time with me, would invite me to their poetry readings, therefore expanding my world even more in Lawrence.”

Cervantes remembers senior lecturer and poet Brian Daldorph, creative writing professor Luci Tapahonso and English professor George Worth as “huge in my life.” She said she not only valued their classes but jumped at the chance to attend poetry readings off campus.'

Tickets are free, though advances registration is encouraged:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/stories-that-connect-us-an-american-girl-talk-w-author-angela-cervantes-tickets-1996099893515

To read more about Cervantes and her time at KU, visit the following link:
https://news.ku.edu/news/article/ku-libraries-to-host-ku-alum-american-girl-author-angela-cervantes-for-hispanic-heritage-month

09/22/2026

Happy fall!

The 2026 issue of English Accents is available online for your reading enjoyment. Please join us in remembering and celebrating all of the accomplishments of our department and alumni this year!

English Accents Learn more about the life of the KU English Department and community in our annual English Accents newsletter! Summer 2026 Edition