Wake Forest University Department of English

We've reached the end of the semester! Congratulations to the graduating class and happy summer break to everyone!

This year's English Department Awards Ceremony included a standing ovation for Dr. Olga Valbuena, who is retiring this Spring. To read Dr. Valbuena's retirement profile, visit https://english.wfu.edu/celebrating-olga-valbuena/.

A gateway to the English Major: Foundations in Literary Criticism with Dr. Herman Rapaport! In Fall 2026, ENG 290A will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 to 4:45 PM.

Congratulations to our newly promoted and tenured faculty!

On Friday afternoon the College announced Derek Lee and Alisa Russell's tenure and promotion to Associate Professor, as well as Guy Witzel's promotion to Associate Teaching Professor. Congratulations, Alisa, Derek and Guy!

Mark your calendars! The English Department Graduation Reception will be hosted in the Tribble Hall lobby on Sunday, May 17th from 4 to 5:30 PM. Families and guests are welcome to attend. Light refreshments and a champagne toast will be served. Congratulations, graduates!

Congratulations to the recipients of this year's English Department awards and scholarships! For more information on the awards, visit https://english.wfu.edu/spring-2026-english-student-scholarships-and-awards/.

Congratulations to English alum Caroline Hallemann ('11), now a writer and editor at Town & Country magazine, whose non-fiction dual biography "The Kennedys and the Windsors" comes out in June! For more information on the book, visit the Penguin Random House website at: www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/743272/the-kennedys-and-the-windsors-by-caroline-hallemann/

"In 'The Kennedys and the Windsors,' acclaimed journalist Caroline Hallemann unearths the story of two iconic families whose lives, ambitions, and respective reigns have mirrored each other in surprising ways. Through rich archival research and fresh interviews from insiders on both sides of the Atlantic, Hallemann reveals how an upstart Irish Catholic family with little access into elite New England society came to host dinner parties for a King and Queen, and forge an eventual path to the White House."

Poetry event next week! On Monday April 20th, the Program for Leadership and Character will welcome award-winning poet Pádraig Ó Tuama to campus for his talk on "Virtue and Verse: What Poetry Can Teach Us About Character." The event will take place in the Porter Byrum Welcome Center (Kulynych Auditorium) at 5:30 PM and will be free and open to the public.

Reminder: the English Department Awards Ceremony will take place this Thursday, April 16 at 4:30 PM in the Magnolia Room at Reynolda Hall. See you there!

This Sunday: the annual Maya Angelou Garden Party will be hosted at Bailey Park from 2pm to 4pm! The event will include poetry and live music performances as well as flower potting. Refreshments will be provided.