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LSU  College of Humanities & Social Sciences


English

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ENGLISH, DEPARTMENT OF

English
Top


WELCOME      

LSU English is home to world-renowned faculty, innovative course offerings, and
talented students. At the heart of our work is an attention to verbal
communication in spoken and written form – what humans do with language, how we
do it, why we do it, and to what effects. Through the study of literature,
linguistics, rhetoric, film, theory, and the craft of writing in a variety of
genres and forms, we challenge students to ask questions of texts, to read
beyond literal meanings, to understand how context and text interact, and to
create compelling texts of their own. The value of an English degree is that the
person who can write with elegance and precision, and who has the skills to
interpret and analyze texts, is needed – and valued - in every area of work and
life.

Go to Undergraduate and Graduate Course Descriptions to see examples of what our
Department has to offer and browse “About Us” to learn about our faculty,
graduate students, publications, events, and more.

Professor Sue Weinstein
Chair, Department of English

 


ENGLISH DEPARTMENT AWARDS CEREMONY

This year's awards ceremony will be held Tuesday, April 30 beginning at 5:00
p.m. in Allen 139.

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GRADUATE AWARDS

William Jay Smith MFA Award for Poetry: William Jay Smith was the author of ten
books of poetry, two of which were nominated for the National Book Award. From
1968 to 1970, he was Poetry Consultant to the Library of Congress.

Winner: Taylor Dentor for "an old god lives in east baton rouge parish"
Judge: Anthony Cody

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David Madden MFA Award for Fiction: David Madden is an award-winning novelist,
poet, literary critic, and playwright. For many years he taught at Louisiana
State University, where he served as writer-in-residence and director of the
creative writing program. He is also the founder of the university's U. S. Civil
War Center.

Winner: Jalen Jones for "How to Be a Writer of Color"
Judge: John Vercher

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Ruth Elizabeth McClain Cassidy MFA Award for Screenwriting: For many years Betty
Cassidy and her family have been staunch and generous supporters of LSU's
English Department and the Creative Writing Program.

Winner: Justin Howerton for Clearing the Trace
Judge: Jamey Hatley

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Kent Gramm MFA Award for Literary Nonfiction: Kent Gramm teaches at Gettysburg
College and is a prolific author. His books include Gettysburg: A Meditation on
War and Values and Somebody's Darling: Essays on the Civil War.

Winner: Matty Carville for "How to Grow Guts & Other Ruminations from My
Pregnancy"
Judge: Emily Prado

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The Robert Penn Warren Awards for Best MFA Thesis: During the years Robert Penn
Warren taught in the LSU English Department, he founded The Southern Review,
began writing All the King's Men, and developed New Criticism, the literary
theory which would revolutionize the teaching of literature: He received the
1947 Pulitzer Price for his novel All the King's Men (1946) and the Pulitzer
Price for Poetry in 1958 and 1979. He is the only writer to have won Pulitzer
Prizes for both fiction and poetry. On the second floor of Allen Hall, a
conference room is named in his honor.

Poetry Winner: Nuha Fariha for A Reckoning
Judge: Diana Khoi Nguyen

Prose Winner: Zach Shultz for Disclosure: A Novella and Other Stories
Judge: Vanessa Hua


UNDERGRADUATE AWARDS

Dara Wier Award for Poetry: Pulitzer Prize winning poet Dara Wier is the author
of numerous volumes of poetry, and has been published in Best American Poetry.
She currently directs the MFA Program for Poets & Writers at the University of
Massachusetts, Amherst.

Winner: Ingrid Marie Jensen for "Blue Notes"
Judge: Skye Jackson

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John Ed Bradley Award for Fiction: Named in honor of celebrated novelist and
sports journalist John Ed Bradley. His most recent book is the young adult
novel The Road to Wherever.

Winner: Jessica Michelet for "The Patchwork Girl"
Judge: Annell López

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Sarah Sue Goldsmith Award for Nonfiction: Named in memory of author Sarah Sue
Goldsmith, who taught English at LSU and was book review editor and feature
writer for the Baton Rouge Advocate. She was also associate director of LSU
Media Services.

Winner: Lauren Harmon for "On Fire Under Water"
Judge: Christopher Romaguera

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rex Reed Award for Screenwriting: Rex Reed is a film critic and the former
co-host of the syndicated television show "At the Movies." He currently writes
the column "On the Town with Rex Reed" for The New York Observer.

Winner: Amy Ruckman for "4 Small Hands"
Judge: MJ Weertz

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gus and Leanne Weill Award for Playwriting: Gus Weill was a distinguished
playwright, novelist, and political consultant. Leanne Weill is a Baton Rouge
advertising and public relations executive.

Winner: Guadalupe Montes for "Support Person"
Judge: Clarence Nero 



 


ENGLISH DEPARTMENT NEWS

Congratulations to Distinguished Instructor Nolde Alexius, who has been awarded
the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society of Louisiana State University 2024
Outstanding Instructor Award! Nolde has been a valued member of the English
Department for many years and we are thrilled that her many contributions to
students and to English have been recognized with this prestigious award.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Congratulations to Michael Bibler, who has been awarded the LSU Distinguished
Faculty Award. This award recognizes faculty members with sustained records of
excellence in teaching, research, and service.  Michael will be recognized
alongside other university faculty award winners at a reception to be held on
Tuesday, April 23 at the Shaw Center for the Arts.

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Congratulations to Ariel Francisco, who has been awarded the LSU Alumni
Association Rising Faculty Research Award. This award recognizes faculty at the
rank of assistant professor who have outstanding records of scholarship and
published research. Ariel will be recognized alongside other university faculty
award winners at a reception to be held on Tuesday, April 23 at the Shaw Center
for the Arts.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Congratulations to Brannon Costello, who has been awarded the Barbara Womack
Alumni Professorship. This award recognizes a faculty member with a reputation
for excellence in instruction, especially in undergraduate teaching; a record of
active and continuing interest and participation in areas of professor-student
relations; dedication to his/her academic field; and outstanding professional
relationships with other faculty and staff members. Brannon will be recognized
alongside other university faculty award winners at a reception to be held on
Tuesday, April 23 at the Shaw Center for the Arts. 


NEW FACULTY (COMING FALL 2024)

David Nee will be joining the Department of English in Fall 2024 as an assistant
professor in the Early Modern/Renaissance area. He earned his BA in English and
Comparative Literature from Columbia University and his PhD in English from
Harvard University.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ashlynn Wittchow will be receiving her PhD in Spring 2024 from Teachers College,
Columbia University and will be joining the English Department in Fall 2024 as
an assistant professor in the area of English Education.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jessica Valdez will be joining the Department of English in Fall 2024 as an
assistant professor of 19th Century British Literature. She comes to us from the
University of East Anglia and previously worked at the University of Hong Kong.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alexandra Meany will be coming from the University of Washington where she will
be receiving her PhD. She will be joining the Department of English in fall 2024
as an assistant professor in the area of Multi-Ethnic Literature.

 




FACULTY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Pallavi Rastogi's new book, Teaching South Asian Anglophone Diasporic
Literature, co-edited with Nalini Iyer, has been published by MLA. From the
publisher: "Teaching South Asian Anglophone Diasporic Literature embraces an
intersectionality that attends to the historical and material conditions of
cultural production, the institutional contexts of pedagogy, and the subject
positions of teachers and students. Encouraging a deep engagement with works
whose personal, political, and cultural insights are specific to South Asian
diasporic consciousness, the volume also provokes meaningful reflection on other
literatures in an age of increasing migration and diaspora."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Congratulations to English instructor Cole Connelly on the release of the guide
for his Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting, The Baedran Compendium. Cole
writes, "At over 2,500 pages, the Baedran Compendium details the entire world of
Baedran, including its continents, nations, cultures, and conflict! The Guide
also contains hundreds of spells and items, two Campaigns that run from level 1
all the way to level 20, and myriad Character Creation options, such as
Subclasses, Feats, and Backgrounds!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Associate professor Joshua Wheeler has a newly inked book deal for his novel,
The High Heaven, which will be published by the prestigious Graywolf Press. The
book is slated for Fall 2025 release.

According to "Publishers Marketplace," The High Heaven follows the life of a
woman who grew up in a New Mexico UFO cult and is rescued by a rancher near
White Sands, where space exploration meets manifest destiny meets cowboy
entertainment, which then launches her on a restless quest across the Southwest.
(February 27, 2024)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Irina Shport has co-authored "Kyoo, This Word Sounds Weird: A Case Study of a
Cajun English Interjection" with 2019 Graduate Lauren Vidrine. It has been
selected as the winner of the Roger W. Shuy Award for the Best Essay in the
journal American Speech for 2023. The article got a good bit of attention when
it first came out, including this press release from the LSU Media Center and
this article in The Advocate.


GRADUATE STUDENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Erin Little published work in Olney Magazine and Crab Creek Review. Erin was
also announced as the 2023 Poetry Chapbook winner by Chestnut Review for
chapbook, Personal Injury. Her debut chapbook, described as "crucial, painful,
and innermost," will be available later this year. An interview with Erin
discussing writing about and into trauma was published in Chestnut Review in
October.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Taylor Thompson (M.A. 2023) started this Fall as a Visiting Lecturer of English
with Specialization in Rhetoric, Writing, and Digital Media Studies at Northern
Arizona University while completing her PhD at LSU.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Seohye Kwon (Ph.D. candidate) was selected as one of the LSU representatives of
the 2023 SEC Emerging Scholars program. She will receive an increase in her
graduate assistantship stipend for one year and join students from across the
SEC at the University of Arkansas this October for the multi-day 2023 SEC
Emerging Scholars Program and Career Preparation Workshop. Seohye also published
a book review of Judgment and Mercy by Martin J. Siegel titled "Irving Robert
Kaufman's American Dream.” She has received a Korean Honor Scholarship from the
Korean government, an award given to outstanding students of Korean heritage to
encourage high achievement of academic performance and the development of
leadership qualities for their future professional careers. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nuha Fariha (MFA candidate) published her first poetry collection, God Mornings
Tiger Nights, with Game Over Books in August 2023. This collection is “an ode to
the enduring spirit of the Bengal tiger and a love letter to an immigrant's
journey.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunny Rosen (MFA candidate) received a Best of the Net nomination for a poem
published with Taco Bell Quarterly. She published a book review with Current
Magazine on Alba de Céspedes’s 1952 novel Forbidden Notebook. Sunny was also
received a scholarship in the summer to attend the Convivio Writer’s Conference
in Umbria, Italy.

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GIVING

Please think of the LSU Department of English for your charitable giving. More
information about donation opportunities.


COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Graduate Course Offerings

Undergraduate Course Offerings


ENGLISH UNDERGRADUATE


About Our Course Offerings


Undergraduate FAQs


Undergraduate Advising


Alumni Spotlight


 

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Department of English
College of Humanities & Social Sciences
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Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Telephone: 225-578-4086

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