North Central College Department of English

09/04/2026

On Tuesday, Dr Stafford's second young adult novel, The Ending You Deserve, was released. The English department, faculty and current students, and alumni attended her book release at Anderson's. Our alum, Jules Billing was in conversation with her. Congratulations Dr Stafford. We are so proud of you.

08/13/2026

Don't miss North Central College alum Zach Porlier this Saturday, August 15 for a great dinner show at Uncommon Ground in CHI on Clark.

See link for tix in first comment!

07/31/2026

Heads up, North Central College students, English majors, and alums!

One of our own, multi-talented Zach Porlier, Class of 2012, continues to put his English degree to work.

Zach is a Chicagoland songwriter whose music blends the melodic traditions of college rock, Britpop, and Power Pop with intimate, reflective storytelling.

His songs explore experiences, places, and people that unexpectedly leave their mark on our lives. Originally started as a songwriting outlet in 2017 between releases with his band Valaska, this project has quietly continued to establish its own home.

Give Zack's music a listen, share with friends, and check out his upcoming gigs. He just dropped a new single--Dr. Jackson approved! 😎

https://open.spotify.com/album/7DmaGpV8FKml53Cn1VIywQ?si=uB2DyryORKG2-mmAUGXmLw&utm_source=copy-link

Zach Porlier · single · 2026 · 2 songs

05/12/2026

Summer reading from Dr. Smith!

05/06/2026

Cheers to Dr. Jackson on completing THREE DECADES at NCC! What an inspiring teacher, mentor, thinker, writer, and campus citizen! We are wishing her an especially delightful summer!

04/30/2026

Congrats to Dr. Stafford on winning the Distinguished Scholarship and Creative Work Award! (We made her work it for the camera! 😊 📸 🌟)

04/23/2026

Our Outstanding Major in Writing is Raine Lanoue! Congratulations, Raine! We’re glad we get to keep you around the department for one more year!

04/22/2026

This year’s Outstanding Major in Literature is Sophia Hein! Congrats, Sophia, on this well-deserved award and your upcoming graduation!

04/21/2026

Meet our Outstanding Major in English for 2025-26, Ainsley Ratledge! (It also happens to be her birthday today! 🎈) Congratulations, Ainsley!

04/17/2026

Proud of our majors and minors who presented their work yesterday at the Rall Symposium!