Follow the department on social media

Important Dates

Priority registration begins: Monday, Nov. 3
Advising Office Open House + ESA Bake Sale: Thursday, Nov. 6
Deadline to drop a POT B course without a ‘W’: Friday, Nov. 14
Advising Office Open House + ESA Bake Sale: Thursday, Nov. 20
Thanksgiving Break: November 22-November 30

Resource of the Week

Need help with a difficult course? Check out resources available through Tutoring and Academic Services at the Jeffries Center. They offer in-person tutoring options for certain courses (see their Fall 2025 list) or you can connect with a tutor online using the NetTutor system (free to Illinois students). All students are invited to make use of these services. Questions? Email tjc-asp@illinois.edu.

Urbana-Champaign Books to Prisoner’s BOOK SALE TOMORROW

The book sale offers great deals (paperbacks for $1 and hardbacks for $2) and raises critical funding to continue providing free books to incarcerated individuals in Illinois. It will take place at the Independent Media Center on November 1 from 9 am-5pm.

ESA Presents: Alumni Guest Panel

What You Will Theatre Company Presents: The Tragedy of King Lear

Advising Open House + ESA Bake Sale!

ESA will be opening up their ESA room (attached to advising office) to sell some sweet treats during the remaining Advising Office Open Houses this semester. Stop by to learn more about ESA and buy a baked good or two! As always, the advising office will also provide coffee, tea, and literary-themed puzzles and games. Come spend a cozy morning or afternoon with us this fall!

Announcement from LAS Honors Office

This email is announcing official changes to the LAS College Latin Honors graduation distinction. Previously students needed to meet the GPA requirement AND one of four additional requirements. The additional requirements have officially been removed. Students graduating as early as this fall will only need to meet the GPA requirement to graduate with College Latin Honors distinction.

The GPA requirements are found here, reviewed and updated every August: https://las.illinois.edu/academics/distinctions

Submit Your Work for Publication

ILSURJ stands as a beacon of the diverse and dynamic undergraduate research landscape on our campus. Our mission is to bridge connections between undergraduate and graduate students, faculty from various disciplines, and the wider public. Through our annual publications, available in versatile electronic formats, we strive to spotlight the exceptional research achievements of our talented undergraduate community. Our peer-edited, faculty-reviewed, open-access approach sets the stage for sharing these endeavors and advancing the journey toward professional research. Our collaborations with prestigious University of Illinois partners like the University Library, the Office of Undergraduate Research, and our esteemed Faculty Advisory Board further solidify our commitment to excellence. It’s important to emphasize that contributing to ILSURJ does not preclude you from submitting your work to other journals – we encourage multidimensional research engagement. 

Deadline for submission is Nov. 30. Submit your work for consideration here. 

MUSE: An Undergraduate Humanities+ Conference

The Illinois Wesleyan Center for the Humanities invites students at other institutions to join us for MUSE: An Undergraduate Humanities+ Conference.

We cordially invite undergraduates to present on topics in the humanities at our day-long conference here at Illinois Wesleyan University on Saturday, February 7, 2026. We share our definition of the humanities with the National Endowment for the Humanities, but we also welcome presentations on creative writing, theater history, art history, music history, and the history of science. In addition to sessions of student presentations throughout the day, the conference will feature a keynote address from Professor Steve Mentz and panels of professionals addressing topics of interest to students in the humanities.

Each session will contain three presentations. Each presenter will have twenty minutes to speak, and there will be fifteen minutes for a combined Q&A at the end of each session.

To participate in the conference, please submit an abstract to humanities@iwu.edu by 11:59 pm on Saturday, November 29, 2025. Abstracts should be approximately 150-200 words long. An abstract for a scholarly presentation should make clear the critical conversation the paper engages and summarize the paper’s thesis and main points. An abstract for a presentation of creative writing should describe the work mainly in terms of its genre and aesthetics / stylistic features. (There should be very little plot summary.)

Along with your abstract, please include your name, email address, phone number, current address, year in school, working title for your presentation, and any audio/visual needs you may have. You will be notified of your abstract’s final status by Wednesday, December 10, 2025. You will then be asked to confirm your attendance, and we will send along further details.

For more information, please email questions to humanities@iwu.edu. We look forward to learning about your ideas and creative work.

Copy Writer Internship Opportunity with Nintendo

As a Nintendo of America Intern, you will actively contribute to meaningful projects, and gain valuable hands-on work experience with a leading company in the entertainment industry. During the program from June through August, your work experience will be enhanced with mentoring, networking opportunities and exposure to industry leaders from across the company! Whether you are in a technical or non-technical role, you will be a part of a team committed to putting smiles on faces of millions around the world. 

For more information about this internship opportunity and to apply, CLICK HERE.

Application Deadline: December 1, 2025 

Spring Courses to Consider

Theater Courses Open to All

How to Enroll in an English Honors Seminar

If you would like to sign up for an English honors course in the spring, please email Nancy at nrahn@illinois.edu (include your full name and UIN) and tell her which seminar you hope to take this spring, including the title/topic and the CRN.  You’ll find descriptions of the courses and the CRN in Course Explorer.  Please allow one week to get a response. Once Nancy has given you permission to take the course, you must still go into the registration system and add it to your schedule.  Nancy cannot actually enroll you in the class; she is simply giving you the override that will allow you to enroll yourself! 

For more details about the honors program check our English department website: https://english.illinois.edu/academics/undergraduate-studies/honors-research/honors-research. 

If you would like to take two seminars at the same time, then you may, but you must receive approval for the first before you can request a second.  If you are approaching graduation and need a particular seminar in order to complete the honors program, please get your request in right away!  Permission is granted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Be an Exploratory Studies Ambassador!

Exploratory Studies is excited to announce that our Ambassador Program application is now open!

The EXP Ambassador Program is a volunteer opportunity for current and former Exploratory Studies students to get involved as student leaders on campus. Ambassadors assist with events, workshops, EXP 101 classes, and outreach efforts- using their own exploration experiences to help guide other students through the process of finding their path at Illinois.

Application Form: EXP Ambassador Application
Program Information: EXP Ambassador Program Website

Applications are open until November 17.

Apply for the 2026 LeaderShape® Institute™

The LeaderShape® Institute™ is a nationally recognized four-day, three-night leadership retreat for Illinois undergraduate students of all majors. This immersive experience will take place January 12-15, 2026, at Allerton Park & Retreat Center in Monticello, IL. Students selected to participate will attend for free thanks to the generous financial support of campus sponsors.

The Institute™ offers participants the opportunity to identify and explore their personal values as they work towards creating a more caring, just, and equitable society. Students will engage in activities of self-discovery, reflection, and feedback in a community of peers, with a focus on leading with integrity.

If you’re ready to challenge yourself, connect with peers, and grow as a leader, we encourage you to apply! The Participant Application opens on October 1 and is due by midnight on November 9.

Admissions Open for the TRIO McNair Scholars Program

The Jeffries Center is pleased to announce we are now accepting student applications for the TRIO McNair Scholars Program! This program supports first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented students in preparing for graduate studies. For more information, please email triomcnair@illinois.edu. Apply now!

Library Research Consultations

Fall 2025 First Gen Series

Scholarship Opportunity

The LAS Get Experience Scholarship is designed to support students with financial need in hands-on learning experiences that enhance and complement their academic coursework (such as unpaid and underpaid internships). Click the link above to find out more.

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. 

Montage – Call for Submissions!

Montage publishes art and literary work by undergraduate students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Submissions are now open! For more information and to submit your work, please visit: https://www.montageartsjournal.com/submit

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!

Boost Your Speaking Skills

We offer a friendly, low-stakes space for students from any major or discipline to practice and work on oral communication with a peer-consultant, including using visual aids such as powerpoint and research posters. Our main location is in the Armory, with satellite hours in the Main Library, Grainger Library, ACES/Funk Library, and the LAS Hub. We also offer synchronous online appointments. 

Free Little Library

WRC Fall Hours

Follow the department on social media

Important Dates

Deadline to drop a full-semester course without a “W”: Friday, Oct. 17
Registration Time Tickets are available to view: Monday, Oct. 20
POT B (second 8 weeks) courses begin: Monday, Oct. 20
Advising Office Open House with LAS Career Services: Wed., Oct. 22
Deadline to add a POT B course to schedule: Friday, Oct. 24
Priority registration begins: Monday, Nov. 3

Resource of the Week

There are multiple ways to connect with the Counseling Center. Call 217-333-3704 to make a same-day appointment. You can call at any time, but more options will be available earlier in the day. You can also schedule an in-person appointment via the website up to three days in advance, or email an embedded counselor to set up an appointment.

The Counseling Center has clinicians available during business hours for same-day urgent meetings without an appointment. If possible, call 217-333-3704 to let them know you’re on your way. Same-day urgent meetings are brief (15-30 minute) one-time meetings for students feeling overwhelming distress.

Please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room if you need immediate assistance.

If you need to talk to someone after hours, please call the Rosecrance Crisis Line at 217-359-4141 to speak with a local mental health clinician.

For more information, please visit the Counseling Center Website.

Career Counseling for Transfer Students

Next week is National Transfer Student Week, and the Career Center will be holding a new event specifically for transfer students on Tuesday, October 21^st. They will discuss ways transfer students can plug into campus resources, gain experience, and convey their transfer student experience in job applications and interviews.  Further details can be found in Handshake: Career Development for Transfer Students: Navigating Your Personal Career Path | Handshake.

Check out Transfer Students | The Career Center | UIUC for tips on transfer students can make the most of their time at U of I as they develop professionally and apply to jobs and internships.

Open House with LAS Career Services Visitor!

Our next open house is coming up on Monday, October 22, 8:30-10am. We will also be hosting Kirstin Wilcox from LAS Career Services, so stop by to meet her and find out more about how you can get help you with your internship and career goals! Or, just hang out as usual. As always, we will have snacks, coffee and tea, and assorted games and puzzles.

Student Internship Available

Survey Data Analysis and Report Writing
Part-time Internship (10-15 hours per week) $15 per hour

Review duties and qualifications and apply here. Do it as soon as possible if you’re interested; the application window will remain open until they hire but they will begin reviewing applications as early as next week.

Job Description:
We are seeking a motivated and detail-oriented Student Intern to assist with analyzing and crafting summaries from survey data. This position requires a student who can effectively distill and communicate insights derived from qualitative and quantitative data. The ideal candidate has strong written communication skills, has an ability to synthesize information for a quick and accurate understanding of survey topics, and is comfortable working in an office environment. This is a fully on-site position.

NB We were asked to promote this opportunity to students in our department so they are definitely interested in humanities types for this position!

How to Enroll in an English Honors Seminar

If you would like to sign up for an English honors course in the spring, please email Nancy at nrahn@illinois.edu (include your full name and UIN) and tell her which seminar you hope to take this spring, including the title/topic and the CRN.  You’ll find descriptions of the courses and the CRN in Course Explorer.  Please allow one week to get a response. Once Nancy has given you permission to take the course, you must still go into the registration system and add it to your schedule.  Nancy cannot actually enroll you in the class; she is simply giving you the override that will allow you to enroll yourself! 

For more details about the honors program check our English department website: https://english.illinois.edu/academics/undergraduate-studies/honors-research/honors-research. 

If you would like to take two seminars at the same time, then you may, but you must receive approval for the first before you can request a second.  If you are approaching graduation and need a particular seminar in order to complete the honors program, please get your request in right away!  Permission is granted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Meet Your Imposter Monster

Learn about Careers in Human Resources and Industrial Relations

Boren Scholarships

Freshmen through Seniors who are U.S. citizens, at least 18 years old, and want to study language and culture in a non-Western country vital to U.S. interests are eligible to apply. (For complete information on Boren Awards preferred language and countries, click here.) 

The Boren Scholarship seeks applicants who have a solid academic record, plan to pursue intensive language study abroad, have the potential to succeed in their proposed study abroad experience, and have clear plans for how they will use the target language in their future academic and professional endeavors. 

Boren Scholars MUST commit to working in the federal government for at least 1 year after graduation.

Deadline 
The required campus deadline is January 15, 2026 at 12:00pm (noon).

Application Preparation
If you are interested in applying, please attend our informational sessions:   

IN-PERSON Boren Scholarship Information Session
Thursday, October 23th, 2025, 3:30-4:30 pm
514 Illini Union Bookstore Building, Floor 5

ONLINE Boren Scholarship Information Session
Friday, October 24th, 2025, 9:00-10:10 am
Register in advance for this Zoom session.

IN-PERSON Boren Scholarship Workshop
Friday, October 24th, 2025, 3:00-4:00 pm
514 Illini Union Bookstore Building, Floor 5

For more information, contact the scholarships office at topscholars@illinois.edu or visit our website at www.topscholars.illinois.edu 

TEC in the Hub

Staff from the Technology Entrepreneurship Center will be in the LAS Lisnek Hub on Thursday, October 23, 11:30am – 1pm, to talk to LAS students ovewr lunch about the opportunities available to them through TEC, including various pathways for getting experience, including opportunities to get involved in student startups through SocialFuse/Cozad competition, workshops, and course offerings. All majors are welcome to get involved with TEC!

Need a 1-hour POTB course? Check These Out!

Are you looking to engage in meaningful conversations, deepen your understanding of diverse perspectives, and contribute to a more inclusive campus community? Diversity & Social Justice Education (DSJE) invites you to enroll in EPSY 203 dialogue courses.

These courses provide a unique opportunity to explore critical topics related to diversity, equity, and social justice in a supportive and interactive environment. Through facilitated discussions, you’ll gain valuable insights, develop essential intergroup & intercultural dialogue skills, and build connections with peers from various backgrounds.

AWP Intro Journals Project – Collecting Submissions!

Coping with Communication Apprehension

Registration Form: https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/1408633323
Thursday, October 23, 3:30-4:30pm (Main Lib #106)

Roughly three out of every four people face some degree of anxiety when speaking in front of others. Tremors, butterflies in the stomach, and “blacking out” are common, but that does not make them any less uncomfortable. In this workshop, learn strategies and mindsets to help cope with these experiences and more related to speech and presentation apprehension. Pre-registration required using the link above.

An Evening with Ayelet Tsabari

Ayelet Tsabari’s new novel, Songs for the Brokenhearted, has won a slew of awards including the National Jewish Book Award. The novel fills a huge gap in that it traces the story of the history of Yemeni Israelis through a fictional family. The text tackles questions of race, nation, and belonging (or not belonging) and could not be more timely. A 2019 interview with Tsabari was published in Ninth Letter; you can find out more about the novel (and hear a clip from the audio book) here and here.

Kevin T. Early Memorial Scholarship

Submissions are open for the 2025-2026 Kevin T. Early Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship is made possible from an endowment by William and Donna Early in memory of their son, a poet, Kevin T. Early. It awards a $2000 scholarship (applied to the student account) to a student with freshman standing at UIUC for the 2025-2026 school year.  

For consideration, students must submit 5 poems via email to jdudek4@illinois.edu. The complete submission should not exceed 5 pages (so 1 poem to a page). Submissions should be attached to the email as .docx (Word) files.

The subject line of the email should read: “EARLY PRIZE SUBMISSION: Last name.”

The body of the email should include the student’s name, address, phone number, e-mail, UIN, and the titles of the poems. The name should not appear on the entry file itself.

The deadline for application is Thursday, October 30, 2025. If you have any questions, please email jdudek4@illinois.edu.

WRC Book Club

Friday, October 31   |   4:00pm
Women’s resources Center 
616 E. Green St Suite 213

Join the staff of the Women’s Resources Center as we discuss Hungerstone by Kat Dunn. During our conversation, we will discuss select chapters and themes from the text that explore relationships, the legacy of the romantic horror genre, and homoeroticism. 

Can’t read the whole book before we meet? No problem! Join us anyway! Limited copies of the book are available on a first come, first serve basis by request. 

Register at go.illinois.edu/Hungerstone

Critical Language Scholarship

Are you interested in learning a less-commonly taught language? Do you want to participate in a fully-funded intensive language program abroad? If so, apply for a Critical Language Scholarship!

Eligibility:
Applicants must be U.S. citizens or U.S. nationals, at least 18 years of age, and enrolled in a degree-granting program at the undergraduate or graduate level. The Critical Language Scholarship, provided by the U.S. Department of State, is a fully-funded, intensive overseas language and cultural immersion program for undergraduate and graduate students.  A list of eligible languages is available here. CLS institutes are 8 to 10 weeks in length, are held over the summer, and cover one academic year of university-level language coursework. CLS Institutes include cultural programming, local language partners, and in-country excursions. Participants receive academic credit at their U.S. institutions.  

Deadline:
The national deadline will be in mid-November – exact date TBD in the upcoming weeks.

Application Preparation:
If you are interested in applying, please attend our informational session:   

ONLINE Critical Language Scholarship Information Session
Friday, October 17, 2025, 9:00-10:00 am
Register in advance for this Zoom session

For more information, contact the scholarships office at topscholars@illinois.edu or visit our website at www.topscholars.illinois.edu 

Creative Writing Courses Added to the “Cheat Sheet”

Attention creative writing majors! You can now find courses offered each semester that satisfy your Writing & Literature and Difference & Diaspora requirements on the Major Requirements Cheat Sheet we update each semester. We hope that this will prove to be helpful when finding courses to complete these major requirements! The updated cheat sheet for Spring 2026 and live and ready for you to consult.

Don’t Forget These!

Media Ecology PhD Cohort at the University of Colorado Boulder

CU Boulder English is embarking on a new kind of PhD that is collaborative, experimental, and that affords students a chance to work closely with each other and with faculty. They are introducing a “Media Ecology” lab and team-taught courses where PhD students work with faculty and one another to map, theorize, and develop dissertation specialties via intensive mentoring, reading, and co-writing and -publishing in the lab. They offer competitive funding packages, along with excellent teaching and networking opportunities. Students will work with established academics and professionals in the fields of their interest.

What are “media ecologies”? If “ecology” refers to the relationships between humans and the more-than-human, mediaecology takes its cue from manuscripts, archives, as well as printed and digital environments to consider how text technologies and material infrastructures shape readers and their worlds. Conversely, readers perceive the material world through the lens of media. In addition to asking traditional questions in literary scholarship like “What does the text mean?” we theorize texts as occupying an ecological niche, suggesting that both medial form and its content occupy a symbiotic and competitive relationship with other texts. Like capital itself, text is always in motion and always innovating. The field of cultural production shifts, morphs, combines, and mutates. The university is seeking students interested in both environmental and media studies. They encourage those working in any literary period, with interests anywhere from medieval manuscripts to AI.

If you are interested in this topic and in pursuing a PhD in English, you are encouraged to apply! You can find information about applying here.

Library Research Consultations

Fall 2025 First Gen Series

Scholarship Opportunity

The LAS Get Experience Scholarship is designed to support students with financial need in hands-on learning experiences that enhance and complement their academic coursework (such as unpaid and underpaid internships). Click the link above to find out more.

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. 

Montage – Call for Submissions!

Montage publishes art and literary work by undergraduate students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Submissions are now open! For more information and to submit your work, please visit: https://www.montageartsjournal.com/submit

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!

Boost Your Speaking Skills

We offer a friendly, low-stakes space for students from any major or discipline to practice and work on oral communication with a peer-consultant, including using visual aids such as powerpoint and research posters. Our main location is in the Armory, with satellite hours in the Main Library, Grainger Library, ACES/Funk Library, and the LAS Hub. We also offer synchronous online appointments. 

Free Little Library

WRC Fall Hours

Follow the department on social media

Important Dates

Humanities Open House: Saturday, October 4
Spring 2026 courses viewable on Course Explorer: Monday, October 6
English Advising Open House: Monday, October 6
Express Advising: Wednesday, October 8 (1:30-3pm)
Deadline to drop a full-semester course without a “W”: Friday, Oct. 17

NO EXPRESS ADVISING TUESDAY, OCT 7 (advisors are at a workshop that day)

Resource of the Week

Have you heard about the English Honors Program? Review the eligibility requirements on this page and talk to Anna or Maggie about how to get started (TL;DR version: you need at least a 3.33 GPA and should have completed ENGL 301 before you begin taking honors seminars). Open to English majors only.

Humanities Open House This Saturday!

Check out this page for the full schedule of events.

Open House

Our next open house is coming up on Monday, October 6, 2:00-3:30pm. Stop by for a snack and some friendly chat with advisors and/or peers.

Penguin Random House Remote Internships

DEADLINE APPROACHING

Interested in gaining experience at a major publishing house over the summer? Intrigued by remote opportunities? Check out Penguin Random House’s summer remote internships! They are filling positions for the following departments: Bookmaking, Art & Design, Editorial, Publicity, Marketing, DEI, Sales, and Finance.

Deadline to apply is Monday, October 6, 2025.

Put Your Storytelling Skills to Use!

Effective Storytelling During Interviews

October 6, 5pm
The Career Center, Room 107
715 South Wright Street

The Illinois Club Scholarships

The Illinois Club Scholarships online application closes at 5PM on Saturday, October 11, 2025. The 2026-2027 scholarships will support junior and senior students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who have a minimum GPA of 3.0. Recipients are selected based on academic achievement, financial need, and participation in activities that enhance academic and professional development. Additional information can be found on the club’s website and the attached flyer. Interested students can apply here.

There are a number of awards but the ones most relevant to English department majors and minors are listed below. It’s well worth applying!

Global Focus Scholarship
Open to students with any major. This scholarship honors Peri Ceperley, a dear friend who left us too soon. Peri loved traveling, studying foreign languages, and exploring internships and volunteering opportunities abroad. Applicants must have international experience or an internationally focused program of study. Applicants should demonstrate how their internationally focused work and/or volunteer plans will make a difference in the world.

Humanities and Social Sciences Scholarship
Open to students majoring or minoring in the Humanities or Social Sciences. Applicants should demonstrate the benefits that studying the Humanities or Social Sciences provides to themselves and their community.

Isabelle Purnell Education Scholarship
Open to students earning a Secondary Education Certificate or College of Education majors. Applicants should indicate how they hope to make a difference in the classroom and in students’ lives.

Judith Life Ikenberry Scholarship
Open to students majoring in the creative arts including all majors within the College of Fine & Applied Arts and Creative Writing. Applicants should demonstrate how their art impacts their lives and the world and what they hope to accomplish with their art. This scholarship is generally given to a student who plans to make a living as a working artist, performer, or writer (e.g., painter, sculptor, musician, composer, dancer, actor, novelist, playwright, poet, screenwriter, essayist, or other creative profession). 

Kevin T. Early Memorial Scholarship

Submissions are open for the 2025-2026 Kevin T. Early Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship is made possible from an endowment by William and Donna Early in memory of their son, a poet, Kevin T. Early. It awards a $2000 scholarship (which is applied to the student account) to a student with freshman standing at UIUC for the 2025-2026 school year.  

For consideration, students must submit 5 poems via email to jdudek4@illinois.edu. The complete submission should not exceed 5 pages (so 1 poem to a page). Submissions should be attached to the email as .docx (Word) files.

The subject line of the email should read: “EARLY PRIZE SUBMISSION: Last name.”

The body of the email should include the student’s name, address, phone number, e-mail, UIN, and the titles of the poems. The name should not appear on the entry file itself.

The deadline for application is Thursday, October 30, 2025. If you have any questions, please email jdudek4@illinois.edu.

Read & Resist Fest

Banned books week is the first week of October, and here at Illinois we’re celebrating with Read & Resist Fest from October 8-14 (see poster below for details)! In partnership with all of the cultural centers (AACC, BNAACC, La Casa, NAH, and Salaam MENA Center), GSRC, WRC, Skeuomorph Press, and the University Library, the AACC will be hosting a pop-up library to promote student awareness and action surrounding intellectual freedom.

Additionally, any students who attend October 8 can participate in the Banned Books Crawl for an opportunity to win a swag pack and gift card to the Illini Union Bookstore!

Please come out to support intellectual freedom and reading banned books at Illinois!

Parable of the Sower is a dystopian novel that depicts a future United States struggling with socio-economic inequality, racism, and classism. Butler describes the book as a cautionary tale that comments on what American society might look like if we don’t change. 

Please be aware that this novel contains allusions to sexual violence, torture, and other forms of violence. We encourage participants to prioritize their self care and feel free to stop reading at any point. 

Book Club will take place at the Women’s Resources Center on Friday, October 10, from 3:00-4:00pm (616 E Green Street Suite 213). 

Register at go.illinois.edu/ButlerBookClub

Limited copies of the book are available on a first come, first serve basis by request. 

Carr Visiting Author Series Event on October 9, 2025

Where: Illini Union Bookstore – Authors Corner
When: Oct 9, 2025 at 4:30 pm  
What: A fiction reading by Leland Cheuk made possible by the Robert J. and Katherin Carr visiting author series. 

Leland Cheuk is an award-winning author of three books of fiction, most recently the novel No Good Very Bad Asian (2019). Cheuk’s work has been covered in Buzzfeed, The Paris Review, VICE, San Francisco Chronicle, and elsewhere, and has appeared or is forthcoming in publications such as NPR, The Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Salon, among other outlets. He is the founder of the indie press 7.13 Books. You can follow him on Twitter @lcheuk and at lelandcheuk.com.

Humanities in Action (HIA)

HIA is a semester-long community engagement program that helps students apply their humanities training in new ways while addressing a vital area of need in our Champaign-Urbana community. Selected students can expect to connect with like-minded peers, participate in workshops, and have access to mini grants that offset the costs associated with their service. Additionally, to help remove some of the financial barriers that prevent humanities students from taking advantage of community engagement opportunities selected students will receive $1000 to support their participation. Participants will also become acquainted with HRI and the opportunities available to students studying the humanities at the undergraduate and graduate levels. At the culmination of the program, participants will learn how to communicate this experience in resumes and job applications.

The application deadline is October 10, 2025. 

VOICE: Graduate Student Reading

Join us for a reading of creative work by MFA students from the Department of English. This month’s reading will feature Nathan Metz, Mason McVeigh, and Isabella Escamilla.

Oct 15, 7:00 pm
Gallery Art Bar | 119 W Main St, Urbana, IL 61801

Need to take a Chinese Proficiency Test?

The Spring 2026 Chinese Proficiency Test will be on Saturday, February 7, and is now open for registration here.

Self-registration closes on Thursday, February 5 at 5:00 PM. The test allows the maximum of 100 registrants, so we strongly encourage you to register early, or you have to wait for the next test. Registration requests later than the deadline will NOT be accommodated, and email requests will NOT be answered. As the test is offered only ONCE each semester, you will have to wait until the following semester to register and take the test. If you are graduating soon, you want to register for the test as early as you can to secure a spot.

You can find all the information about this test here: https://ealc.illinois.edu/academics/programs/chinese/placement

Illinois Consulting Academy

Illinois Consulting Academy (ICA) is looking for driven, collaborative sophomores and juniors from all majors who are interested in exploring consulting and preparing for careers in the industry.

Info Night
Date: Tuesday, October 14
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: Business Instructional Facility, Deloitte Auditorium

At Info Night, students will learn more about ICA, what consulting is, and hear directly from current and former ICA students about their experiences.

Students who are interested in learning more or applying should complete this form: ICA Interest Form

Fall 2025 First Gen Series

Don’t Forget These!

Scholarship Opportunity

The LAS Get Experience Scholarship is designed to support students with financial need in hands-on learning experiences that enhance and complement their academic coursework (such as unpaid and underpaid internships). Click the link above to find out more.

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. 

Montage – Call for Submissions!

Montage publishes art and literary work by undergraduate students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Submissions are now open! For more information and to submit your work, please visit: https://www.montageartsjournal.com/submit

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!

Library Research Consultations

Students at the University of Illinois have access to free, personalized research support through the Research Consultations at the Main Library. Research consultations offer individual consultations for any student at any stage in the research process, including brainstorming ideas or topics, forming search strategies, and more. For more information and to schedule an appointment, visit go.library.illinois.edu/ResearchConsultations.

Boost Your Speaking Skills

We offer a friendly, low-stakes space for students from any major or discipline to practice and work on oral communication with a peer-consultant, including using visual aids such as powerpoint and research posters. Our main location is in the Armory, with satellite hours in the Main Library, Grainger Library, ACES/Funk Library, and the LAS Hub. We also offer synchronous online appointments. 

Free Little Library

WRC Fall Hours

Follow the department on social media

Important Dates

Deadline to drop a POT A (first 8-weeks) course: Friday, September 19
Homecoming Week: September 21 – September 27
Spring 2026 courses viewable on Course Explorer: Monday, October 6

Don’t forget that we are now offering express advising twice a week (for quick check-ins and chats). Express/drop-in sessions are Tuesdays from 10:00-11:30am and Wednesdays from 1:30-3:00pm.

Resource of the Week

Need help with a writing task? Check out the Writers Workshop! Consultants offer support to writers at all levels and can work with you on any kind of academic or professional writing. From writing groups and workshops to individual consultations where they provide feedback on essays, personal statements, cover letters, and more, you can get the help you need! Click here to schedule an appointment.

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!

David F. Prindable Internship in Communications & Outreach

DEADLINE FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19

If you are passionate about the humanities and interested in communication work, apply for the David F. Prindable Internship! This is a paid position in communications with projects that include social media, research, writing, and student outreach.

For more information and to apply, visit https://go.illinois.edu/prindable

Truman Scholarships

The Truman Scholarship awards $30,000 for use toward a graduate degree in public service fields. Public service includes government, uniformed services, public interest organizations, non-governmental research or educational organizations, public and private schools, and other non-profit organizations. Recipients of the scholarship are required to work in public service for three of the seven years following completion of a Foundation-funded graduate degree program; this is non-negotiable condition of receiving funding. 

I-Explore Week

I-Explore Week is coming up (September 29-October 4) and there will be lots to do! This is a series of events for all students who are exploring majors, minors, career paths, etc. The week kicks off with the Majors & Minors Fair on the 29th, and then there will be a series of events taking place throughout the week. Check out the calendar and in particular if you are a prospective (or even a current) English Teaching concentrator, please plan to attend “Charting the Course: How to Become a High School English Teacher“ (hosted by the English advising office) featuring a combination of current teaching students and alums of the program who have taught or are now teaching high school English. Registration is requested just so we know how many to expect (there will be treats on hand!): https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/545378774

Get Experience Scholarship

The LAS Get Experience Scholarship is designed to support students with financial need in hands-on learning experiences that enhance and complement their academic coursework (such as unpaid and underpaid internships). Click the link above to find out more.

Call for Submissions for Green Observer

ATLAS Internships for Spring 2026

This fall, over 70 LAS students are gaining valuable hands-on experience in technology and professional development through the ATLAS Internship Program. The application window for Spring 2026 internships will open in October. You can learn more by attending the upcoming info session on September 24, 4:00 p.m. – Room 15, English Building

Considering Grad School in English?

The Department of English at Michigan State University is delighted to announce the 6th Annual MUSE Scholars Workshop, which will be held this fall in East Lansing, from October 21-24th. DEADLINE TO APPLY IS SEPTEMBER 24.

The MUSE Scholars Program is intended for any prospective English 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 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 English department, visit graduate classes, meet faculty and graduate students, receive feedback on their application materials for graduate school, and present their research to faculty.

Students can learn more about the workshop, and submit an application, on our website, here.

Humanities in Action (HIA)

HIA is a semester-long community engagement program that helps students apply their humanities training in new ways while addressing a vital area of need in our Champaign-Urbana community. Selected students can expect to connect with like-minded peers, participate in workshops, and have access to mini grants that offset the costs associated with their service. Additionally, to help remove some of the financial barriers that prevent humanities students from taking advantage of community engagement opportunities selected students will receive $1000 to support their participation. Participants will also become acquainted with HRI and the opportunities available to students studying the humanities at the undergraduate and graduate levels. At the culmination of the program, participants will learn how to communicate this experience in resumes and job applications.

An in person information session will be held in room 1000 of the Seibel Center for Design on Wednesday September 24th from 6:00-7:00pm. The application deadline is October 10, 2025. 

LAS Career Services

Upcoming Event:
When Plans Change: How to Make an LAS Major Work for You (9/29, 5pm, virtual event)

Connect with LAS Career Service Team:

• 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. 

Preview–Carr Visiting Author Series Event on 10/9

Illini Union Bookstore: Authors Corner
Oct 9, 2025   4:30 pm  
A fiction reading by Leland Cheuk made possible by the Robert J. and Katherin Carr visiting author series. 

Leland Cheuk is an award-winning author of three books of fiction, most recently the novel No Good Very Bad Asian (2019). Cheuk’s work has been covered in Buzzfeed, The Paris Review, VICE, San Francisco Chronicle, and elsewhere, and has appeared or is forthcoming in publications such as NPR, The Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Salon, among other outlets. He is the founder of the indie press 7.13 Books. You can follow him on Twitter @lcheuk and at lelandcheuk.com.

English Advising Office Open Houses

Montage – Call for Submissions!

Montage publishes art and literary work by undergraduate students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Submissions are now open! For more information and to submit your work, please visit: https://www.montageartsjournal.com/submit

LAS Leaders – Currently Accepting New Member Applications!

LAS Leaders consists of 30 undergraduate students in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences who strengthen the relationships among the college’s students, alumni, and friends. These students are selected for the organization based on their commitment to representing the college through programs and community service. They are the face of today’s LAS students to the public.

Applications to become an LAS Leader are now open! Apply at bit.ly/LASLeadersApply
For more information, visit the LAS Leaders webpage.

Library Research Consultations

Students at the University of Illinois have access to free, personalized research support through the Research Consultations at the Main Library. Research consultations offer individual consultations for any student at any stage in the research process, including brainstorming ideas or topics, forming search strategies, and more. For more information and to schedule an appointment, visit go.library.illinois.edu/ResearchConsultations.

Boost Your Speaking Skills

We offer a friendly, low-stakes space for students from any major or discipline to practice and work on oral communication with a peer-consultant, including using visual aids such as powerpoint and research posters. Our main location is in the Armory, with satellite hours in the Main Library, Grainger Library, ACES/Funk Library, and the LAS Hub. We also offer synchronous online appointments. 

Free Little Library

WRC Fall Hours