For the 2026 issue of the Department of English newsletter, we’re asking students, alumni and professors to describe a transformative reading experience—one in which you were somehow a different person by the time you put the book down. It could be a text that completely changed your way of seeing the world, but it could also be one that had a more subtle, if no less profound, impact on your life. In no more than 250 words, please tell us about that book and how it rocked your world. What were the circumstances of your… Read Article →
Katelyn Welsh, a graduate student in the MAWP program, was recently featured in CBS for being the first pole vaulter on DePaul University’s track and field team. Check out the full story here: https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/depaul-university-pole-vaulter-katelyn-welsh/ Congratulations, Katelyn!
Suspended is meant for the stories that are complete, yet seem unfinished. The endings hang and dangle off the final page, like a pendulum, seeking answers. We want your poems or short fiction stories that are suspended in this regard, have suspenseful endings, or are ambiguous in nature at any or every turn. Send us your visual art that makes onlookers question its meaning. Submissions Suspended accepts simultaneous submissions. Let us know if your submission is accepted elsewhere. We charge $3 to submit. Upload your submission to our Submittable page, and please use a Microsoft Word document, Times New Roman 12 pt. font and double-spaced, for written… Read Article →
Join us on Monday, May 11 at 6 p.m. in SAC 161 for an event with authors Chris Watkins and David Welch. See below for more details:
The John T. Richardson Library is asking English majors to consider applying for a student assistant position in Special Collections and Archives. The position—which has been posted on the Campus Job Board—will close Monday evening, May 4. Library staff members will begin to review applications next Wednesday, May 6, and plan to have in-person interviews the week of May 18. Students who have used Special Collections and Archives in the past are often the strongest candidates, but all applicants will be considered. The anticipated start date for the student assistant position in Special Collections and Archives is… Read Article →
Check out these upcoming deadlines for submissions across genres, and specialized contests: Redivider Call for Submissions – April 30, 2026 Fiction Flash Fiction Poetry Memoir & personal essay Cultural critique Cover art The Massachusetts Review – April 30, 2026 Nonfiction Fiction Performance Poetry Translation Hybrid Art Mud Season Review – April 30, 2026 Full-length Manuscript Reviews Nonfiction Fiction Poetry Art Chicago Story Press – April 30, 2026 Essays Creative Nonfiction New Croton Review – Open Submissions There is no deadline, but the next issue will go live May 9, 2026. Fiction Nonfiction Poetry Artwork and photos Barry Spacks Poetry Prize – April 30, 2026 Gunpowder Press is accepting book-length manuscripts of 48–100 pages for the 12th annual Barry Spacks Poetry Prize, which honors Barry’s… Read Article →
Desert Nights, Rising Stars (DNRS) Writers Conference, will take place on October 16-17, 2026 at ASU Tempe. This year’s keynote is Stephen Graham Jones, alongside an exciting lineup of contemporary writers across genres, including poets Remica Bingham Risher, Lauren Camp, and Saúl Hernández; novelists Sally Wen Mao, Reyna Grande, and Barry Pearce; nonfiction writers Anel Flores and Nicole Walker; YA authors David Bowles and Diana López . The conference offers two days of workshops, readings, panels, and more. Learn more at: https://piper.asu.edu/conference. MFA students are encouraged to apply for MFA presents, or to serve as Conference… Read Article →
On Thursday, April 23 at 5 p.m., English faculty Mark Turcotte, Chris Solis Green and Daniel Borzutzky are participating in a poetry event at Columbia College Chicago, 618 S. Michigan Ave, 3rd Floor. Chris will be showing a film that’s based on his crown of sonnets, THE DEAD ZOO. The movie was recently named an “official selection” of the Los Angeles Short Film Awards. The event is free and open to the public.
On Thursday, April 23, one of Miles Harvey’s short stories, Four Faces, is being featured at the Rosewood Tavern, 5726 N. Western Ave. The event will feature a reading by Chicago actress Rengin Altay and music by Lisa DeRosia and Colby Maddox.
The course schedule for Autumn 2026 is now posted. Head to “Classes” in the Menu and click on “Autumn 2026” to view class offerings.
Alumni Timothy J. Hillegonds will visit DePaul on Wednesday, April 29 at 6 p.m. in ALH 103 to discuss his new book, And You Will Call It Fate. See below for more information: