Department of English

College of Humanities and Sciences

Current StudentsGive

News

SJ Sindu, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of English at VCU’s College of Humanities and Sciences, teaches creative writing and released her first graphic novel, “Shakti,” this week. Here, she enjoys a cup of tea in her home office. (Max Schlickenmeyer, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

With graphic novel ‘Shakti,’ SJ Sindu shares ‘the kind of story that I wanted to have’ as a child

May 26, 2023

VCU creative writing professor blends Tamil mythology from native Sri Lanka, manga inspirations from childhood, LGBTQIA+ narratives and life lessons on emotions and bullying for middle-grade readers.

Christine Singleton, an avid reader, is part of the English department’s Distinguished Major Program. (Tom Kojcsich, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

Class of 2023: After allowing herself time to grieve, Christine Singleton returns to school and resumes her love of literature and learning

May 11, 2023

Singleton, an English major, has thrived at VCU, where she has found her voice again.

For her Ph.D. in Media, Art, and Text dissertation at VCU, Allison Bennett Dyche, Ph.D., who graduates this month, focused on the lessons she learned in creating an Audio Storytelling & Podcasting course for college students - and how courses like hers would be a beneficial part of the curriculum for mass communication students nationwide. (Samuel Cooke, The Appalachian photographer, Appalachian State University)

Class of 2023: Allison Bennett Dyche found few resources on how to teach podcasting to college students. So she created her own.

May 11, 2023

Dyche, who is earning a Ph.D. in Media, Art and Text, is “at the forefront of a growing conversation about how universities can help prepare students for careers in this growing industry,” her dissertation director says.

book clipart

VCU Creative Writing Yearly News Roundup

May 8, 2023

Greetings from VCU’s MFA program in Creative Writing! Our students, faculty, and alumni have been busy this past academic year, so we thought we should share the good news. There are a lot of accomplishments to celebrate!

Celebrating more than two decades of Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts

April 11, 2023

The journal, one of the premier online literary magazines, will host readings and panels with former contributors and student staff members this week.

Rachel Beanland, VCU alum and author of the new novel "The House is on Fire." (Contributed photo)

VCU alum Rachel Beanland, author of ‘Florence Adler Swims Forever,’ releases a new novel about the deadly fire in 1811 at the Richmond Theater

April 5, 2023

When the pandemic hit, Rachel Beanland took to writing about a topic close to home. The result is her new book, “The House is on Fire.”

a haphazard arrangement of books

First Year MFAer Lands Book Deal

March 10, 2023

Congrats goes out to first year MFAer, Joshua Galarza, whose YA novel, The Great Cool Ranch Dorito in the Sky, has been acquired by Henry Holt & Company . . . 

Black History Month at VCU will feature a wide variety of events and activities. (Getty Images)

An overview of 2023 Black History Month events and activities at VCU

Feb. 3, 2023

February’s lineup includes a wide range of opportunities for students, staff, faculty and the community.

Among four research projects receiving funding from the Transdisciplinary Environmental Research Incubator is an effort studying Black-led urban agricultural spaces. (Getty Images)

Transdisciplinary Environmental Research Incubator funds four new research collaborations

Feb. 2, 2023

“The incubator will soon become a model for future research collaborations across the university,” said Cristina Stanciu, Ph.D., director of the Humanities Research Center.

Cristina Stanciu, Ph.D., a VCU English professor and director of the Humanities Research Center, is author of the new book "The Makings and Unmakings of Americans: Indians and Immigrants in American Literature and Culture, 1879-1924."

VCU professor Cristina Stanciu on her new book, ‘The Makings and Unmakings of Americans’

Jan. 26, 2023

A cultural history of Americanization, the book draws from an archive of Indigenous and new immigrant writing and visual culture.