books

English

Immerse yourself in the imaginative worlds of poetry, fiction, literary nonfiction, and drama, and develop the skills and experiences to pursue a wide variety of career paths. Studying what gives you joy and sparks your creativity and intellectual curiosity will also set you up for a rich personal, professional, and civic life.

James Weaver

James Weaver, Associate Professor, Chair of English, Lorena Woodrow Burke Endowed Ch…

Margot Singer

Margot Singer, Professor (English/Creative Writing), Director of Creative Writing, Di…

Anneliese Deimel Davis

Anneliese Deimel Davis, Academic Administrative Assistant

Upcoming Events

Apr

12

2023

Beck Series: Jordy Rosenberg

8:00pm EDT

Swasey Chapel

Highlights

Beck Series: Writers That Inspire

Reynolds Young Writers Workshop

Renowned writers Billy Collins, Piper Kerman, and Alice Walker have all visited Denison and worked with students in recent years through the English Department's Beck Series.

Think Critically & Creatively

Choose an emphasis in creative writing

Creative Writing

We offer a wide variety of courses that engage with human experience, recent and historical as well as local and global.

One of the oldest undergraduate creative writing programs in the country, Denison’s major and minor in creative writing offer small classes taught by full-time professors, all practicing writers and poets, who also mentor and advise students.

Choose an emphasis in literary studies

English Literature

Denison’s English majors develop expertise in critical reading and writing along with skills in cultural understanding, empathetic thinking, imaginative reasoning, storytelling, critical thinking, and textual analysis—all highly valued by 21st-century employers.

Spotlights

Fred Porcheddu-Engel has brought the Middle Ages into the digital age with his research of manuscripts.

4 questions with English Professor Fred Porcheddu-Engel

As he celebrates his 30th year as part of the Denison faculty, Porcheddu-Engel remains as enthusiastic as the day he arrived as a student.

Bridget Welch '22

24 hours of improv and 4 years with a new ‘family’

This 24-hour improv show is an extreme bonding experience, a great way to get close to your friends, and a big opportunity to work toward a common goal

Professor Emeritus David Baker

Denison Magazine

Telling “The Telling”

Emeritus Professor of English David Baker provides the backstory of his poem featured in Denison Magazine.

Illustration of a person spying with toilet paper rolls

Denison Magazine

Hunkering Down

Why we use the language of war, even in the absence of a battle.

Winter 2022 cover

Denison Magazine

The ON Switch

Conversations with faculty about what it means to teach — and to trigger those amazing moments of illumination

Bridget Welch '22

Denison Magazine

Unlocking Potential: Bridget Welch '22

Learning comedy cross-training at Second City in Chicago

An aerial view of north quad and the IM field

Denison Magazine

On Resilience

Poetry by Riley Halpern '22

Professor Erik Klemetti presents Ava Goodwin '23 with the Grand Buzzy Champion Award

Podcast-a-thon features student audio stories

This year's Podcast-a-thon engaged over 250 students and faculty from 9 classes, mentored by audio professionals.

Beck guest and GLCA fiction award winner Lesley Nneka Arimah

Learning from experienced writers

The Beck Series brings renowned authors and poets to campus so students learn from expert writers in multiple genres.

Students during an on-campus Reynold Writing Workshop

High Schoolers Embrace Virtual Learning at Reynolds Workshop

For the first time in its 26 years, the weeklong writing program for high schoolers, annually held on Denison’s campus was entirely online.

Midnight family

Award-winning filmmaker shares storytelling insights

Finding a story is never a passive process. It's done by trial and error, and with an eye on shifting circumstances.

Bridget Koerwitz '21

A cultural immersion from the comfort of home

Bridget Koerwitz ’21 squeezed four semesters of Arabic language instruction into eight short weeks.

Nick Bailey, Evan Hill and Marc Sloboda

Temporary Humans

Three Denisonians team up to create an animated series that’s been picked up by Will Arnett.

Mary Clare Edwards '21

My Summer at the Virginia Quarterly Review

"I’m grateful to have spent a summer meeting and connecting with writers at every stage of their literary career," says Mary Clare Edwards ’21.

Matthew Harrington '84 and Monisha Mukhija '11 with students

Building Sustainable and Successful Professional Relationships

Alumni Matthew Harrington '84 and Monisha Mukhija '11 Share Their Advice for Building Meaningful Professional Relationships

What's Happening

Faculty

Professor Diana Mafe trains her critical lens on the Oscars

"Wakanda Forever" lifts up Black women—but only so far, says Professor Diana Mafe.

Faculty

Prof. Kirk Combe launches blog about culture

Professor Emeriti Kirk Combe shares his fun reflections on all kinds of culture in a blog titled “Rant Against the Regime.”

Featured News

Acclaimed essayist Hanif Abdurraqib to join Denison as writer-in-residence

The Nan Nowik Writer-in-Residence program brings top poets, writers, literary scholars, and critics to campus.

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