Follow the department on social media

Important Dates

Deadline to add a POT A (first 8 weeks) course: Friday, Aug. 28
New Student English Department Orientation: Monday, Aug. 31
Deadline to Nominate an Instructor: Tuesday, August 1
Advising Office Open House: Wednesday, Sept. 2
Deadline to add a full-semester course: Friday, Sept.4
English Teaching Social: Thursday, Sept. 24

Share Your News!

As a reminder, if you have an award, a publication, or some other form of success (as defined by you!) to report please send news to engl-news@illinois.edu so the social media interns can celebrate you and your accomplishment. Also, if you are a member of a student group affiliated with the English department and you would like an upcoming event posted on our undergraduate calendar (now available at the bottom of the advising page) please send that info to the same address. Thanks!

Resource of the Week: Self-Care Stations

Need some supplies? McKinley Self-Care Stations provide over-the-counter self-care supplies. Funded by your health service fee, these are provided at no extra cost to you. You will need to present your student i-card before you can receive any items.

Items available include supplies for cold care (nasal spray, lozenges, pain relievers, saline), wound care (band-aids, gauze, ointment), allergy care, and much more!

Book Recommendation of the Week:
The Wolf Border by Sarah Hall

Recommended by Anna Ivy

“For almost a decade Rachel Caine has turned her back on home and worked in Idaho at a reservation for wolves. As one of the few experts in her field she is summoned back to England by the eccentric Earl of Annerdale to help with his plan for re-wilding wolves on his estate in the Lake District.

As Rachel attempts a gradual reconciliation with her estranged family, her work with the Earl begins to generate public outrage and the threat of sabotage. Set against a backdrop of Scottish independence and tumultuous power struggles both locally and nationally, The Wolf Border is a novel steeped in wilderness and wildness, both animal and human.” (https://www.sarahhallauthor.com/the-wolf-border)

Do you have any books that you would like to recommend? Share your book recommendations here and we will try to get your recommendation in the Round-Up!

A Note on I-Promise

If you are an I-Promise scholar (i.e. a recipient of the Illinois Promise scholarship), check out this page for information about resources available to you through Scholar Support Programs. Note that there is a consent form that you will need to sign if you want to receive regular communications from SSP notifying you of upcoming opportunities and resources.

Skeuomorph Press

Skeuomorph Press and Undead Media Lab offers hands-on experiences with historical book and information technologies from the 18^th to the 20^th centuries—including letterpress, book binding, typewriters, risography, and vintage computing—and sponsors creative activities such as poster or zine making. 

Check out their photo gallery to see more!

New Student English Department Orientation

The English department will be hosting the mandatory New Student Orientation for new creative writing and English majors on Monday, August 31 at 5:30pm in Room 160 of the English Building. At the orientation the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Andrea Stevens, will be sharing crucial information about the English department that you do not want to miss! Afterwards, the department will be providing free pizza and department T-shirts for new students in the Mary Kay Peer Lounge (located in the lower level of the English building).

Upcoming Lectures

Submit Your Work

ESA Welcomes You!

Advising Office Open House

Nomination Deadline Approaching

If you found one of your past English department instructors to be especially skilled, inspiring, or responsive to your needs as a student, we’d like to know about it!

You can nominate any professor, lecturer, or instructor (that includes graduate TAs), who has taught any English department course (BTW, CW, ENGL, RHET) on any topic in the last year, and you are welcome to nominate more than one person. It only takes a few minutes to fill out the Teaching Award Nomination Form. 

The deadline for nominations for the next awards cycle is September 1, 2026.  Thanks in advance for your help! 

English Teaching Social Event

Are you an English Teaching student or interested in studying to become a high school English teacher? In an effort to create a stronger sense of community amongst English Teaching students, some of our upperclassmen are hosting a casual, social event on Thursday, September 24th in Room 200 of the English Building from 5-6pm. Feel free to come and go anytime within the hour. This is a great opportunity for you to meet other students interested in teaching and get to know upperclassmen who can give you some insight to the program! All English Teaching and pre-English Teaching students are invited to join!

Join the English Teaching Network GroupMe to join stay connected with other English Teaching students: https://groupme.com/join_group/116647686/cLgZET4F

Carr Visiting Author Series: Mary Helen Specht

Sep 24, 2026   4:30 pm  Location TBD

Mary Helen Specht is the author of the forthcoming novel Mudlark (July 2026) and the novel Migratory Animals, a New York Times Editors’ Choice and winner of the Texas Institute of Letters Best First Fiction Award and the Writers’ League of Texas Fiction Prize. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Prairie Schooner, and numerous other publications. A Fulbright Scholar to Nigeria and Dobie-Paisano Writing Fellow, Specht currently teaches creative writing at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, where she lives with her family. She was recently inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters.

Don’t Forget These!

Paid Communication Internship

Apply by August 31!

LAS Career Services seeks to hire a Communication Intern for the Fall 2026 semester, with the potential for continued employment into Spring 2027 based on mutual interest.

This is a great opportunity for students who would like to explore their interests and skills in writing, creativity, communication, social media, and customer service in a professional setting. Communication Interns create student-friendly messaging for digital displays, weekly e-newsletters, blogs, flyers, photography, and Instagram posts. Opportunities also exist to draft messaging for campus and external audiences (e.g., faculty, university administrators, employers, and alumni). 

For more information, such as how to apply, visit the posting on Handshake.

MUSE Scholars Program for the Grad School-Bound

The Departments of English and Romance and Classical Studies at Michigan State University are delighted to announce the 6th Annual MUSE Scholars Program, which will be held this fall in East Lansing, from October 14-17th.

 The MUSE Scholars Program is intended for any prospective graduate students interested in issues of access and equal opportunity in academia, and concerned about the challenges of first-generation students and low-income students in higher education. It aims to introduce students to a robust culture of mentoring essential for a rewarding graduate school experience, and a thriving life in academia. All prospective graduate students in English, Spanish, or related fields who are interested in these questions are welcome to apply! You can read more about our recent cohorts of MUSE scholars here.

The all-expenses paid workshop will allow students to learn more about the departments of English and Romance and Classical Studies in the College of Arts and Letters. Students will visit graduate classes, meet faculty and graduate students, receive feedback on their application materials for graduate school, and present their research to faculty. 

Submit your application here by September 12. 

Open Houses for the Fall 2026 Semester – Mark Your Calendar!

Fall 2026 Proud to Be A First-Gen Series & Study Abroad Opportunity

How to Connect with LAS Career Services

• Mondays- 1-3 pm 105 Greg Hall (short chats)
• Tuesdays- 10-3 pm LAS Hub (Lincoln Hall) with peer mentors
• Wednesdays- 10-3 pm LAS Hub (Lincoln Hall) with peer mentors
• Thursdays- 10-3 pm LAS Hub (Lincoln Hall) with peer mentors
• Thursdays- 1-3 pm 105 Greg Hall (short chats)
• Handshake Appointments (in-person or virtual) are 30 minutes during available staff times. We have an energetic team to help you. Reach out to connect. Having trouble? Reach out to us at las-careerservices@illinois.edu. 

Check out the ESA Free Little Library outside EB 200. We have a rotating stock of donated books (thanks to all our anonymous donors) and you’re always welcome to stop by and pick something up. If you want to leave a book as well of course you can, but it’s not expected. If you feel like it, you can sign the sheet on the top shelf and tell us what you picked and why!

Sharing News

As a reminder, if you have an award, a publication, or some other triumph to report please send news to engl-news@illinois.edu so the social media interns can celebrate you and your accomplishment. Also, if you are a member of a student group affiliated with the English department and you would like an upcoming event posted on our undergraduate calendar (now available at the bottom of the advising page) please send that info to the same address. Thanks.

Follow the department on social media

Important Dates

English & Creative Writing Convocation: Saturday, May 16
Grades available to view in Self-Service: Saturday, May 23

Congratulations on making it through finals! This is the final Round-Up of the semester, but we’ll be here throughout the summer months and are happy to help in any way we can. Feel free to email us at englishadvising@illinois.edu with any questions, or schedule a virtual appointment if you need to talk about your plans for the fall.

Internships

SAB MAG, an artistic lifestyle magazine, is looking to hire a social media content, editorial, and brand and page design intern. You can apply using this form.

APPLICATION DUE MAY 20 11:59PM CENTRAL TIME

Illinois Student Council Academic Advisor Feedback Survey

Courses to Consider for Fall 2026

EPSY 218: College Student Mental Health
Social & Behavioral Science Gen Ed
Interested in understanding why mental health challenges are so common during the college years and what science tells us about them? Curious how stress, relationships, identity, and culture shape psychological wellbeing? Join us next semester and register for EPSY 218: College Student Mental Health. We will explore topics such as anxiety, depression, substance use, relationships, and resilience in college students through the lens of behavioral science. You’ll learn how researchers study mental health and, importantly, how to apply that knowledge, whether it’s recognizing patterns in yourself or others, understanding when and how to seek help, or making informed decisions that support wellbeing in everyday life.

DTX 180: Exercising Empathy
Social & Behavioral Science Gen Ed
Emphasizes the role that empathy can play in everything we do. Understanding empathy throughout our lives enables us to live a full and intentional life. How do we become compassionate people? When we approach trying to solve problems in our world, how do we ensure that we consider others, their perspectives and their needs? This course will provide students with a foundational understanding of empathy and engage them in empathic practices such as observation, interaction, and perspective taking. This course builds one of the most essential career skills: understanding people. Practical, relevant, and impactful across any field.

DTX 495: Special Topics in Design Thinking – Student-Centered App Design
Student-Centered App Design is an 8-week, project-based course that focuses on using Human-Centered Design (HCD) principles to examine the needs of students at the University of Illinois and reimagine a student-centered app experience. During this course, you will work in teams to identify opportunities, brainstorm ideas, create wireframes, test prototypes, and refine your app concepts. By the end of the course, you will develop a more thorough understanding of HCD methodologies and gain iterative experience in app design, preparing you for future projects in the field. Students from all academic backgrounds are encouraged to enroll, as no prior programming or design experience is required

CW 202: Topics in Creative Writing, Section R – Screenwriting Workshop
Back by popular demand this fall is this great screenwriting workshop! Explore the art of visual storytelling for the silver screen. This course guides you through traditional screenwriting techniques while applying the fundamentals of narrative to the craft of the short film script. You will develop an original concept, participate in collaborative workshops, and learn how to pitch your project to meet industry standards. By the end of the semester, you will have a completed script and a plan for festival submission.

CW 208: Creative Nonfiction Workshop
Introduction to a variety of types of nonfiction prose, including the personal essay, memoir, literary journalism, and historical writing. Relocated! This may now be more convenient so take another look and see if it works in your schedule.

ATLAS Internships for Summer and Fall!

Let’s Talk

Let’s Talk is a program offered by embedded clinical counselors. It is not a counseling appointment, but a conversation about Counseling Center services available to students. Conversations with Let’s Talk counselors are private, informal consultations. Let’s Talk appointments are 15 minutes long, and there is no fee. 

To schedule a Let’s Talk appointment, please schedule an appointment online.  

Don’t Forget These!

The Communications Office at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology is seeking a social media student worker to assist in writing, editing and posting social media posts to promote Beckman research and events. The intern will work with communications team members to create and implement social media strategies, brainstorm engaging campaigns for our various audiences develop and post content and collect analytics. A major part of this position will be to build up the Beckman Institute’s presence on BlueSky and Threads.
If you’re a detail-oriented and thoughtful communicator who wants to use your talents in various mediums, this will be a great employment opportunity for you. 

Primary duties:

• Draft content for social media, including reels, stories and posts for Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, BlueSky and Threads.
• Maintain social media engagement on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, and build up the Beckman Institute’s social media presence on BlueSky and Threads.
• Collect and compile social media analytics that generate insights to improve our social media strategy.
• Other duties as assigned.

Preferred skills:

• Excellent writing, editing and proofreading skills.
• Knowledge of the different social media platforms and the audiences they cater to.
• Experience with/interest in graphic design platforms such as Adobe Creative Suite and Canva.
• Experience managing professional social media accounts (preferably for an organization or institution).
• Capable of generating creative, innovative and engaging ideas to enhance social media content.
• Well-organized and detail oriented.
• Self-motivated and capable of working independently toward set goals and deadlines.
• Ability to communicate effectively, thoughtfully and efficiently with team members.

Hours
This is a paid position requiring 10 hours of work per week at $15/hour, with a set schedule that can be flexible to accommodate coursework. The work will often require in-person presence to document events and engage with researchers, as well as attend in-person meetings, but hours are flexible. The position begins no later than summer 2026 (preferably June, though the start date is flexible) with the possible opportunity for renewal into the fall 2026 semester. While this is a student worker position, it can be converted into an internship.

To apply
Interested candidates should submit a resume, cover letter and two to three samples of professional social media posts (preferably illustrating how to engage with audiences on different platforms) to Alejandra Pires at pires2@illinois.edu. The deadline is 11:59 PM on May 15.

Part-Time Job on Campus: Student Science Writer

The Communications Office at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology is seeking a student writer to cover news, research and announcements for the Beckman website and other media as necessary. 

Job description
The primary duties for the student science writer position include:

• Writing news stories, press releases and features about peer-reviewed research, grant awards, Beckman faculty members and additional topics as assigned, with the goal of making complex scientific concepts understandable to lay audiences. (65%)
• Collaborating with editorial team to proofread, edit and rewrite content. (10%)
• Conducting interviews with faculty members and asking questions to understand the main ideas and significance of their work. (5%)
• Assisting with story promotion, including uploading stories to Sitefinity, Beckman’s web content management platform, as well as drafting social media copy. (5%)
• Acquiring a working knowledge of Associated Press style, Beckman’s style guide and editorial best practices. (5%)
• Identifying and pitching relevant, recent and compelling content using databases like PubMed. (5%)
• Other duties as assigned. (5%)

Skills
The ideal candidate is a reliable, proficient writer who adheres closely to deadlines, values accuracy and detail and maintains professionalism when acting on behalf of the Beckman Institute Communications Office. Candidates should be motivated, organized, able to work independently and comfortable managing multiple assignments simultaneously. Candidates must be able to arrange, conduct and record interviews with Beckman Institute students, faculty members and staff so as write articles about their research. Clear and effective communication with colleagues and supervisors is a must.

Hours
This position begins in summer 2026, preferably in June, with a possible option to continue through fall 2026. This is a paid, mostly remote, position requiring 10 hours of work per week and in-person check-ins every other week. Work schedules are flexible and may vary depending on story assignments. Deadlines are flexible to fit the worker’s schedule.

To apply
Interested candidates should submit a resume, a cover letter, and two to three personally generated (non-AI) writing samples to Alejandra Pires at pires2@illinois.edu. (Scientific manuscripts and long seminar papers are not acceptable writing samples.) Apply by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, May 15.

• Mondays- 1-3 pm 105 Greg Hall (short chats)
• Tuesdays- 10-3 pm LAS Hub (Lincoln Hall) with peer mentors
• Wednesdays- 10-3 pm LAS Hub (Lincoln Hall) with peer mentors
• Thursdays- 10-3 pm LAS Hub (Lincoln Hall) with peer mentors
• Thursdays- 1-3 pm 105 Greg Hall (short chats)
• Handshake Appointments (in-person or virtual) are 30 minutes during available staff times. We have an energetic team to help you. Reach out to connect. Having trouble? Reach out to us at las-careerservices@illinois.edu. 

Check out the ESA Free Little Library outside EB 200. We have a rotating stock of donated books (thanks to all our anonymous donors) and you’re always welcome to stop by and pick something up. If you want to leave a book as well of course you can, but it’s not expected. If you feel like it, you can sign the sheet on the top shelf and tell us what you picked and why!

Sharing News

As a reminder, if you have an award, a publication, or some other triumph to report please send news to engl-news@illinois.edu so the social media interns can celebrate you and your accomplishment. Also, if you are a member of a student group affiliated with the English department and you would like an upcoming event posted on our undergraduate calendar (now available at the bottom of the advising page) please send that info to the same address. Thanks!