KU Department of English

Today at 5 PM: KU English welcomes author and journalist Héctor Tobar for this year’s Holmes Institute Lecture.

Tobar will present “My Beloved, My Metropolis: Literary Imagination and the Crisis of an American City” in Watson Library, 3 West.

The lecture is free and open to the KU community and the public. Light refreshments will be provided.

Spend part of your Tuesday evening with us in Watson Library!

KU English student Cecilia is a Patti J. Wilson Scholarship recipient! Cecilia is scheduled to graduate in May 2027 with a Bachelor of Arts in English with a concentration in Creative Writing and a minor in Communication Studies. Cecilia's writing focuses on literary and speculative fiction. Congratulations Cecilia!

KU English student Carsten is a Patti J. Wilson Scholarship recipient! Carsten plans to graduate with honors in May 2027 and is pursuing a Bachelor of General Studies in English with a concentration in Creative Writing with a Minor in History.

Carsten on their campus involvement and post-grad plans: "I work on campus as a Mental Health Peer Educator at HOPE@CAPS. I participate in the Fencing Club and Oldfather Production Club. I am a member of Mortar Board, Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society, and KU's newly chartered Chapter Beta Alpha Eta of Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society. I am excited to help grow and navigate Chapter Beta Alpha Eta in the 26/27 school year. After graduation, my goal is to make a living writing fiction. I also intend to pursue an MFA and Ph.D. in creative writing in the future.

KU English student Alexander is a Patti J. Wilson Scholarship recipient. Alexander's planned graduation date is May 2027, and they are pursuing a BA in English with a concentration in Creative Writing. Congratulations!

Alexander on their education and research: "Although I initially came to the University of Kansas with the intention of graduating early with only my English degree, my passion for writing transformed into new curiosities that led me declaring my second and third degree in Film & Media studies and American studies. I am currently conducting research on an English thesis focused on video game rhetoric emphasizing the dangers of perpetual human ignorance and a film thesis accentuating the intricacies of representing the Latino identity in media. The pursuit of my education has culminated in a career goal in screenwriting and civic engagement. As a double-minority, I have faced the limitations of lack of representation in media and academia and have come to understand the practices that maintain them. For that reason, I am interested in the interdisciplinary potential of writing and hope to one day utilize my education to combat representation inequality in the media and writing. My academic journey has not been without hardships, but I have meant wonderful people who have changed the trajectory of my life in ways they can't even imagine. I would not have had the possibility of projecting my voice and my identity without the continued support of the English department and others. Here is to one more year! Rock chalk."

KU English alum Derek Graf (PhD, Creative Writing, 2020) has had his essay titled '"Thieves took it": Material Culture and Holocaust Memory in Cynthia Ozick's "Bloodshed" and "Rosa"' published in Vol. 45 of the Studies in American Jewish Literature journal. Congratulations!

The essay examines Ozick’s fiction through the lens of material culture, exploring how economic conditions shape public and personal perceptions of Holocaust survivors. The article is available free of charge for the next 90 days at the link below:
https://doi.org/10.5325/studamerijewilite.45.1.0037

PhD student Abisola Akinsiku's research article "Power Dynamics: Women in New Nollywood Epics" has been published online in the international and interdisciplinary journal African Studies. Congratulations!

Abstract: Nollywood is a rich cultural zone, especially with the rise of epic blockbusters in the 2020s. Some of these include King of Thieves: Ogundabede (2022), Aníkúlápó (2022), Elesin Oba: The King’s Horseman (2022), Mami Wata (2023), Jagun Jagun: The Warrior (2023), Orisa (2023), Ageshinkolé (2022), House of Ga’a (2024) and Lísàbí: The Uprising (2024). Using African feminisms as a conceptual lens, I interrogate how female characters are portrayed and note that Nollywood, although maturing and creating more nuanced female characters, is still tethered to patriarchal stereotypes of power distribution privileging men above women. I further argue that, although powerful women assert powerful personalities to a certain extent, thus demonstrating agency, their power is curtailed in the socio-cultural, domestic and political arenas, which ultimately creeps into the production culture of epic films, thus complicating women’s truest emancipation.

To read "Power Dynamics: Women in New Nollywood Epics" visit the link below:
https://doi.org/10.1080/00020184.2026.2655749

Speaker spotlight: Héctor Tobar

Héctor Tobar is the author of six books, including Our Migrant Souls and The Tattooed Soldier. He spent 18 years with the Los Angeles Times, where his work included posts as city reporter, national correspondent, foreign correspondent, columnist, and bureau chief in Mexico City and Buenos Aires.

Tobar was also part of the Los Angeles Times staff that won a Pulitzer Prize for breaking news in 1993. His short stories and essays have appeared in The New Yorker and Best American Short Stories 2016 and 2022.

Join us for Tobar’s Holmes Institute Lecture, “My Beloved, My Metropolis: Literary Imagination and the Crisis of an American City,” on Tuesday, June 23 from 5–6 PM in Watson Library, 3 West.

Free and open to the KU community and the public. Light refreshments will be provided.

KU English student Isabella is a Patti J. Wilson Scholarship Recipient. Isabella's planned graduation date is May 2027. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in English with a concentration in Language, Rhetoric, & Culture and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.

Isabella on her interests and post-grad plans: "Currently I am a member of historically black sorority, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc., Omega Theta Chapter. I am also a Hall Center for Humanities fellow for both the 2025-2026 & 2026-2027 school years. After graduating, I intend to pursue a Masters of English, with a concentration in Rhetoric. I plan to go all the way to a PhD in the same major and concentration, as it is my hope to one day be a professor of English, Rhetoric & Composition."

Please join us in congratulating Isabella!

What's on your weekend reading list? 📚

We're getting cozy with some great local reads over here at Lawrence Magazine, including a little children's literature. In our latest issue, we sit down with Giselle Anatol to talk about her new book, "Small-Girl Zora and the Shower of Stories," a tall tale that introduces young readers to the legendary Zora Neale Hurston.

"Stories can change the world. They can spark imagination and solutions. They can connect people from different regions, nations, cultures and generations."

Read the full story here: https://issuu.com/sunflower_publishing/docs/lawrence_magazine_summer_2026/14

Story by Rochelle Valverde; Photography by Carter Gaskins

Stop by the Hall Center (900 Sunnyside Ave) to pick up these free commemorative postcards celebrating Langston Hughes 125th birthday!

This set of 10 postcards highlights places that were significant to Hughes during his early life in Lawrence, pairing contemporary photos with historic images of the same locations.

Read more about the project ➡️ https://news.ku.edu/news/article/ku-and-community-partners-publish-postcards-celebrating-the-life-of-langston-hughes-in-lawrence

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Available at the Hall Center and from our partners: Spencer Museum of Art, Watkins Museum of History, Lawrence Public Library, KU Commons