English

Immerse yourself in the imaginative worlds of poetry, fiction, literary nonfiction, and drama, and develop the skills and experiences to pursue a wide variety of career paths. Studying what gives you joy and sparks your creativity and intellectual curiosity will also set you up for a rich personal, professional, and civic life.

Fred Porcheddu-Engel ’87,Professor, Chair of English

Margot Singer,Professor (English/Creative Writing), Director of Creative Writing, Di…

Upcoming Events

Jan.

2025

Beck HOME Series: Author Amy Butcher

The Beck Series welcomes author Amy Butcher.

4:30pm

Feb.

2025

Beck Series: Poet Jesse Nathan and Novelist DK Nnuro

The Beck Series welcomes GLCA Prize winners for poetry, Jesse Nathan, and for fiction DK Nnuro.

7:30pm

Apr.

2025

Beck Series: Poet

The Beck Series welcomes poet Tiana Clark.

4:30pm

Apr.

2025

Beck Series: Writer Sophie Lewis

The Beck Series welcomes writer and scholar Sophie Lewis.

8:00pm

Highlights

Beck Series: Writers That Inspire

Reynolds Young Writers Workshop

Renowned writers Billy Collins, Piper Kerman, and Alice Walker have all visited Denison and worked with students in recent years through the English Department's Beck Series.

Think Critically & Creatively

Choose an emphasis in creative writing

Creative Writing

We offer a wide variety of courses that engage with human experience, recent and historical as well as local and global.

One of the oldest undergraduate creative writing programs in the country, Denison’s major and minor in creative writing offer small classes taught by full-time professors, all practicing writers and poets, who also mentor and advise students.

Choose an emphasis in literary studies

English Literature

Denison’s English majors develop expertise in critical reading and writing along with skills in cultural understanding, empathetic thinking, imaginative reasoning, storytelling, critical thinking, and textual analysis—all highly valued by 21st-century employers.

Spotlights

‘You’ll never guess what I did today’

Dancer Grace Lukens ’26 never imagined herself a fencer. But that’s the kind of thing that happens at Denison.

Denisonians give life to fallen friend’s final work

Kirsten Edwards ’77 didn’t live long enough to see her novel published. So her friends stepped in.

PBS taps professor emeritus to discuss a giant of American poetry

David Baker, who has taught Wallace Stevens to generations of Denison students, appeared in a recent Poetry in America episode.

Denison Magazine

Keeping the public informed

Journalism chose these Denison graduates — and they're chasing it from Ohio to Africa.

4 questions with English professor Diana Mafe

Mafe talks about her research, teaching practices, and how The Legend of Zelda connects to the liberal arts.

Denison Magazine

To go proudly and boldly into the world

For these high-achieving ’90s graduates, an education on The Hill was about exploring, stumbling, adapting — and thriving.

Fred Porcheddu-Engel has brought the Middle Ages into the digital age with his research of manuscripts.

4 questions with English Professor Fred Porcheddu-Engel

As he celebrates his 30th year as part of the Denison faculty, Porcheddu-Engel remains as enthusiastic as the day he arrived as a student.

24 hours of improv and 4 years with a new ‘family’

This 24-hour improv show is an extreme bonding experience, a great way to get close to your friends, and a big opportunity to work toward a common goal