Greetings from Padelford, during a time of year in Seattle that is sometimes referred to as the “Big Dark.” From the middle of October into spring, the days are short and gray. Nowadays, on work days, I can arrive on campus not long after the sunrise and leave well after sunset. I mention the seemingly endless stretch of Seattle gloom to remind us that there are ways to manage in times of darkness.Key among them is “cultivating connection,” to borrow Professor…
The English Department has much to celebrate from 2025 in terms of our faculty's awards and achievements. This article captures just a selection of all that our wonderful colleagues accomplished over the past year. Promotion, Retention, and New Leaders The English Department would like to extend special congratulations to Megan Callow…
Below is a small selection of notable publications from English Department faculty throughout 2025, comprising new and forthcoming books, chapters in edited collections, and journal articles. For a full, searchable database of English Department publications, please click here. New and Forthcoming Faculty Books …
In 2025, the English Department welcomed three remarkable new faculty members: Rhema Hokama (Assistant Professor of English Literature), Hunter Little (Assistant Teaching Professor in the…
Anselma Prandhita, 2025, a PhD in language and rhetoric, was profiled by the College of Arts and Sciences last summer. A scholar of speculative fiction and the English language, Prihandita completed a dissertation that explores writing challenges faced by historically marginalized students, while also producing short stories in the speculative fiction genre. One of her stories, "Negative Scholarship on the…
The English Department’s Writing Programs are growing! We’re excited to welcome Technical and Professional Communication (TPC) as a standalone program in the Department. TPC will now offer undergraduate and graduate courses, as well as a new Minor. The TPC core faculty—Director and Teaching Professor Josie Walwema, along with Assistant Teaching Professors Chris Holstrom, Linford Lamptey, and Calvin Pollak—have worked tirelessly to bring the vision of a standalone TPC program to life. The…
Derek Sheffield, ’90, ’99, a poet and English teacher, was appointed Washington State’s Poet Laureate in April by Governor Bob Ferguson. A passionate naturalist known for co-editing the best-selling "Cascadia Field Guide: Art, Ecology, Poetry" with Elizabeth Bradfield, ’94, and CMarie Fuhrman, Sheffield is “always packing” binoculars and hand lens and birds by ear—often in the woods near his home in Leavenworth. He has butterflied alongside Robert Michael Pyle, ’69, ’73, the lepidopterist, and…