Powerful Writing. Creative Reading. Language for a Lifetime.
Florida’s smartest English department reflects the creative diversity and interdisciplinary potential of the language that connects us. Our internationally acclaimed faculty have won more teaching awards than any other academic department at Florida State. We also write prize-winning fiction, prize-winning poetry, prize-winning scholarly editions, essays and books. We explore the best of the past and present in order to create a better future for everyone who reads (or hears) English. We aspire to train every student, at every level, how to get more from what they read, and how to achieve more with what they write.
With innovative new academic programs, we equip our ambitious, multi-talented undergraduate and graduate students to venture out into every corner of the new creative economies: from Broadway to the ACLU, from tenure-track jobs in other Research 1 universities to Pulitzer Prize-winning artistic entrepreneurs. Come read with us, and write the future.
The English Department at Florida State University
Recent Faculty Publications
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Gary Taylor
Professor Gary Taylor expected the release of The New Oxford Shakespeare to garner media attention. Read More... -
John Mac Kilgore
In his new book Mania for Freedom, John Mac Kilgore introduces and defines a new mode of literature, what he identifies as "a literature of enthusiasm." Read More... -
Kathleen Yancey
When discussions about advancements in rhetoric and composition studies occur, Kathleen Yancey not only brings her expertise to the talks; often she leads the conversation. Read More... -
Rhea Estelle Lathan
Throughout her academic career, Rhea Estelle Lathan has been a strong advocate for African American literacy, and her scholarly studies on the subject jelled in the fall of 2015. Read More... -
Andrew Epstein
Andrew Epstein's New Book Examines Everyday Life and the 'Crisis of Attention' Read More...
Department News
By Amber Deschene
Parking spots are going to be tough to find outside The Bark on Tuesday nights through the end of April.
Undergraduates at Florida State are familiar with the process of scouring course offerings and looking for classes they want to add to their academic schedules. Talise Burton, a senior majoring in English, decided she wanted to build one of those courses for students to consider. And FSU’s Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement rewarded Burton with an IDEA Grant to help carry out the unconventional plan.
Florida State University undergraduates who win IDEA Grants have to select a faculty supervisor to guide and mentor them through the research and completion of their project. Senior English major Colby Blackwill chose English Professor Jimmy Kimbrell, and Kimbrell has the highest praise for Blackwill and his academic excellence.
“I cannot recall ever having the honor of mentoring an undergraduate student who is more immersed, ambitious, and capable than Colby Blackwill,” Kimbrell says, “and I have had many wonderful students during my nearly two decades at FSU.”
When people find out a college student is earning an English degree, they likely think that student is focused strictly on historical or modern literature, creative writing, or rhetoric and composition. Most of those people probably have not stepped foot in an English department in many years, though.