April 2026 Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

Philip Nel and his co-editors have published Λέξεις-Κλειδιά για την Παιδική Λογοτεχνία [Keywords for Children’s Literature, Second Edition] (2026), a Greek edition of their earlier book (New York University Press, 2021) Each month during the academic year, we assemble a newsletter of the department's recent publications, presentations, announcements, and awards. We're happy to recognize the … Continue reading April 2026 Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

2025-2026 Annual Awards

Program for the 2025-2026 Annual Awards Celebration Earlier today we gathered at the Alumni Center and online to celebrate the success of students and faculty. As we have since 2023, we exchanged the sit-down banquet from the pre-COVID days for a less formal reception which allowed for more conversation -- and an earlier evening. We're … Continue reading 2025-2026 Annual Awards

Why Can’t the Trans Man Also Be a Racist A**hole? 

Images from West Side Story (1961) and West Side Story (2021) Today we share the fourth of six pieces of public writing selected for publication from an assignment in ENGL 801 “Graduate Studies in English” — and the first selection from Section A of ENGL 801, taught last fall by Cameron Leader-Picone: a piece of … Continue reading Why Can’t the Trans Man Also Be a Racist A**hole? 

March 2026 Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

Tom Sarmiento has published The Heartland of U.S. Empire: Race, Region, and the Queer Filipinx Midwest (Temple UP, 2026) Each month during the academic year, we assemble a newsletter of the department's recent publications, presentations, announcements, and awards. We're happy to recognize the recent successes in research, scholarship, and creative activity outlined below.  Want to … Continue reading March 2026 Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

Our Thanks to Elizabeth Dodd, Naomi Wood, and Michele Janette

Elizabeth Dodd, Naomi Wood, and Michele Janette at their joint retirement celebration at the K-State Alumni Center (26 March 2026) On Thursday March 26, we gathered at the Alumni Center, with concurrent live-stream, to celebrate the contributions of Elizabeth Dodd, Michele Janette, and Naomi Wood, three of our faculty members who are retiring this May … Continue reading Our Thanks to Elizabeth Dodd, Naomi Wood, and Michele Janette

From the Archive: Lights, Camera, Quack-tion!

A scene from The Rubber Ducky is a Hand Grenade, one of the entries for the 2025 48-Hour Film Challenge Since our blog debuted in 2017, we have published 600+ posts.  While some of you may have been with us from the start (thank you, loyal readers!), others may have joined us more recently. As … Continue reading From the Archive: Lights, Camera, Quack-tion!

February 2026 Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

Cameron Leader-Picone has published Transit Lit: Fictions of Migration in Twenty-First-Century African Immigrant Literature (Northwestern UP, 2025) Each month during the academic year, we assemble a newsletter of the department's recent publications, presentations, announcements, and awards. We're happy to recognize the recent successes in research, scholarship, and creative activity outlined below.  Want to catch up … Continue reading February 2026 Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

Alumni Spotlight: Laura Thacker

Laura Thacker (BA '12, MA '14) The most beautiful thing about studying English is the ability to step outside of yourself and experience a new perspective. In a 1964 interview, James Baldwin said, “You think your pain and heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that … Continue reading Alumni Spotlight: Laura Thacker

35th Annual Cultural Studies Symposium with Dr. Sianne Ngai

Dr. Sianne Ngai Celebrated literary theorist Sianne Ngai will discuss her most recent book, Theory of the Gimmick, at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, March 6 via livestream in the K-State Union’s Wildcat Chamber. The event will also be presented via Zoom; registration for the Zoom option is available at tinyurl.com/ngaikstate. This hour-long conversation is the … Continue reading 35th Annual Cultural Studies Symposium with Dr. Sianne Ngai

Anxiety and Aesthetics: The Frutiger Aero Aesthetic  

(Image: Asdal Stock Image 86 from the Frutiger Aero Archive) Today we share the fourth of six pieces of public writing selected for publication from an assignment in ENGL 801 “Graduate Studies in English” — and the first selection from Section A of ENGL 801, taught last fall by Cameron Leader-Picone: a piece of public … Continue reading Anxiety and Aesthetics: The Frutiger Aero Aesthetic