The University of Tulsa Department of English & Creative Writing

For all wanting to learn more about how to foster supportive and inclusive classroom spaces, join us on April 24th at 3pm in the Faculty Study for a talk by Dr. David Gooblar, Associate Professor of English and Director of General Education Literature at the University of lowa. This event is being cosponsored by EGSA and McFarlin Library. Light refreshments will be served~

Tomorrow, join us on the 3rd Floor of Chapman Hall for a veggie lunch prepared by English PhD students Yuhye Kim and Elham Alizadeh in collaboration with the Little Blue House and Center for Global Engagement. Yuhye and Elham will be serving Japchae, Persian Lentil Rice, Shirazi Salad, and Bubble Tea! 🧋✨

Congratulations to Sara and Midge on their Mellon grant! Sara Beam -- outgoing Writing Program Director -- and Midge Dellinger -- oral historian for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation -- submitted the project “Mvskokvlke Hofone Enfulletv Rasvwetv (To Bring the Ways of the Mvskoke Back).” It involves digitizing and “rematriating” the Robertson-Worcester Collection at the McFarlin Library, giving the Muscogee (Cree) Nation and others access to important historical and language materials. Can't wait to see the results of this initiative!

We join all of the Tulsa community in celebrating Juneteenth National Independence Day, commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. There are tons of events going on. The main celebration is set on Greenwood Avenue, under the them of "family reunion."
🔗 Learn more at https://www.tulsajuneteenth.org

What a way to end another amazing year! Thanks to the Mentorship Program that partners E&CW undergrads with Tulsa Artist Fellows and the OCH, a crowded house got to enjoy some of the most beautiful work of the semester. From the front left, we have Cassidy Czachowski (with mentor Kashona Notah in back), Anna Wilson (Kaveh Bassiri), Peggyann Kennedy (Quraysh Ali Lansana), Ia Finkelstein (Boris Dralyuk) and Alexander Dupree (Karl Jones). Thank you all for doing us proud! And for producing such exciting work.

Another term under our belts! Let's take a moment to thank the librarians and staff at McFarlin Library for all they do to bring such a diversity of media and ideas to all us throughout the academic year. Our warmest appreciation!

Wonderful news all! Seona Kim has been awarded a Brittain Postdoctoral Fellowship at Georgia Tech University. Brittain Fellows are faculty members at the Georgia Institute of Technology with Instructor rank for up to three sequential one-year appointments. Fellows tailor their courses to their own research interests. It’s a prestigious recognition of Seona’s hard work & an amazing opportunity!

Give it up for Lacee Johnson! He’s this year’s winner of the S.E. Hinton Endowed Scholarship in Creative Writing. Congratulations! The award comes with a monetary contribution to the TU student’s academic expenses and the prestige of Hinton’s name and literary reputation. Lacee is a brilliant writer, and we can’t wait to see his next contribution to the literary arts. Thank you for all you do Lacee.

It's official! Congratulations to all of the E&CW BA, MA, and PhD students who graduated this spring. Here's a photo of some of the graduate students just after the event. Front row l to r: Lizy Bailey, Julie Mitchener, Seona Kim, and Jamie Walt. Back row: Prof. Jeff Drouin, Zach Short, Prof. Dennis Denisoff, and William Clark. What radiant, fresh faces! Congratulations to everyone.

The Western Literature Association has chosen our own Q Lansana to receive their 2025 Distinguished Achievement Award! Celebrating his publication of over twenty books in poetry, nonfiction and children’s literature, the WLA also notes his role as Executive Producer of KOSU/NPR’s “Focus: Black Oklahoma” radio program, his award-winning contributions to Oklahoma Today magazine, and much more. Thanks Q for all you do for Tulsa and our community at large!

Wonderful news! Professor Lars Engle has received the 2025 Outstanding Research Award. His research career while at the University of Tulsa will be recognized at the graduate commencement ceremony on May 16, 2025. Roxana McFarlin Chapman Professor of English, Lars specializes in early modern and medieval British literature, with a focus on Shakespeare. During his career, he has shared his knowledge, guidance, and acting chops with 100s of TU students. Congratulations Lars!

A big "Way-to-go!" to the amazing Hannah Moua and Peggyann Kennedy, this year's winners of the James C. and Nieta M. Pinkerton Award. The award is given to English & Creative Writing seniors from the greater Tulsa area who have demonstrated exemplary achievement in their course work. We are so lucky to have had their dynamic contributors to our student community these past few years. Thank you Peggyann and Hannah!