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
When a writer wins an award, the honoree usually receives a certificate or a plaque, maybe even gets the opportunity to give a short thank-you speech in front of colleagues.
For her most recent honor, Florida State University English Professor Diane Roberts took a more celebratory route—literally. After FSU named Roberts its 2018 Alumni Distinguished Writer, she earned a slow-moving ride in the October 19 homecoming parade.
The start of Florida State University’s 2018-19 academic year also begins a new alliance between FSU and the Newberry Center for Renaissance Studies. The Newberry Center, an independent research library in Chicago since 1887, works with an international consortium of universities in North America and the United Kingdom.
By Jana Padula
Being a college student comes with an array of questions and thoughts, especially about the future.
Luckily, the Department of English has advisors who are available to help students figure out if an English major is best for them, to discuss course mapping issues, to make sure all university requirements are fulfilled, and even to discuss post-graduation options.
Janelle Jennings-Alexander considers her teaching as a natural extension of her scholarship. So, Alexander, who is a Ph.D. candidate in Florida State’s Department of English, felt profoundly honored when she recently found out she is a winner of a prestigious educator award.
Alexander won the 2018 National Council of Teachers of English Early Career Educator of Color (EC-EOC) Leadership Award.