Rising HS juniors + seniors into writing, film, visual design, and culture might be interested in our Pre-College Program. The program runs from June 20 - July 18, 2026, with applications being accepted until March 1. www.cmu.edu/pre-college/...

Today, the Pittsburgh Review of Books features a new essay by Andreea Deciu Ritivoi, William S. Dietrich Professor of English.

From banned Soviet novel to global blockbuster, Zhivago reveals the politics of adaptation. By Andreea Deciu Ritivoi. pghrev.com/adapting-dr-...

Two community members were recently featured in the latest edition of Dietrich College’s The Garden: Access, Opportunity and Community Impact Newsletter. Click the link below to read about Lecturer Ed Simon and Literature & Culture additional major Mo Fahad. www.cmu.edu/dietrich/abo...

Today, the Pittsburgh Review of Books shares a piece by Rahaf AlMubarak, a graduate student in our MA in Literary and Cultural Studies program.

Earlier this week, our chapter of the Sigma Tau Delta English Honors Society held a Blind Date With a Book fundraiser, and sold out four times! It was a big hit with our campus community, and we're planning to hold another later this year.

Our department's Pittsburgh Review of Books not only gives students a chance to gain valuable experience in editing and publishing, but also offers a home for their work. This recent essay was written by Elias Fox, who is currently pursuing a Master's in Literary and Cultural Studies.

Our Call for Papers deadline has been extended to Feb. 15! Find all the details here: www.cmu.edu/dietrich/eng...

Join our department! We're hiring a Lecturer in our Writing & Communication program, to begin in Fall 2026. Candidates from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds are encouraged to apply. For more details: apply.interfolio.com/180359

Katina Handrinos, a first-year Film & Visual Media primary major and Gender Studies minor, recently published “'Bend, and Snap!': Legally Blonde’s Subversion of Gendered Stereotypes in the Legal Field" in the CMU Policy & Law Review. Read her article here: cmuplr.org/2026/01/22/b...

From the campus community to the wider world, read the latest edition of the Alumni Newsletter for all the news from our department! mailchi.mp/3b8608eaf6de...

Lecturer Ed Simon published a new book, WRITING DURING THE APOCALYSE: REFLECTIONS ON THE GREAT UNRAVELLING (Bloomsbury Academic), with a launch event at Pittsburgh's Stay Gold Books on 2/17. Ed also appears on 2/4 to discuss another recent book: pittsburghlectures.org/lectures/ed-...

The Keynote Speaker for Bridges and Borders has been announced! Dr. Eric Vázquez, LCS Ph.D. 2015, will speak on Friday, March 20. Want to get involved? The deadline for proposal submissions has been extended until 1/23. Details here: www.cmu.edu/dietrich/eng...

On Thursday, January 15, Professor Andreea Ritivoi interviewed internationally-renowned Norwegian novelist Karl Ove Knausgaard during his Pittsburgh Arts and Lectures appearance.

“I thrive when there are creative bounds for myself. It's really interesting to see what you can do." People magazine recently interviewed screenwriter and novelist Yulin Kuang, a 2012 graduate. people.com/yulin-kuang-...

Part Milton criticism, part John Carey obit, & part reflection on his own cancer treatment, Willy Maley's moving essay is an astonishing testament to lives in criticism and reason 1A I'm so proud that @cmuenglish.bsky.social launched the @pghreviewofbooks.bsky.social pghrev.com/living-preca...

The Keynote Speaker for Bridges and Borders has been announced! Dr. Eric Vázquez, LCS Ph.D. 2015, will speak on Friday, March 20. Want to get involved? The deadline for proposal submissions has been extended until 1/23. Details here: www.cmu.edu/dietrich/eng...

The @pghreviewofbooks.bsky.social is a valuable opportunity for our students to gain experience in writing, editing, and publishing. Read a piece by current M.A. in Literary & Cultural Studies student Suzy Liss ⬇️

A team from the CMU Entertainment Technology Center (ETC), working with Professor Ralph Vituccio, won the Best Student-Developed Game award at a national competition for “Speak Your Heart,” a game exploring freedom of speech and academic freedom. Read the full story: www.cmu.edu/dietrich/new...

Making a big bet on “computational humanities,” CMU will introduce new academic programs and resources for students and researchers to blend traditional humanistic inquiry — literary interpretation, historical research and cultural critique — with computational methods. www.cmu.edu/news/stories...

Congratulations to Professor and Department Head Christopher Warren, whose Print & Probability project has been selected as a 2025 Humanities and AI Virtual Institute (HAVI) awardee by @schmidtsciences.bsky.social! Read more about the awarded projects here: www.schmidtsciences.org/havi-2025-an...

Congratulations to Professor and Department Head Christopher Warren, whose Print & Probability project has been selected as a 2025 Humanities and AI Virtual Institute (HAVI) awardee by @schmidtsciences.bsky.social! Read more about the awarded projects here: www.schmidtsciences.org/havi-2025-an...

"While she weaves data and research into her work, it’s always driven by finding the narrative that readers can hold on to." Read about how Elizabeth Currid-Halkett's studies in the Carnegie Mellon English department inform her work as a professor of public policy. www.cmu.edu/engage/news-...

This week at the @pghreviewofbooks.bsky.social, read a piece by current M.A. in Professional Writing student Sarah Steinberg ⬇️

Bridges and Borders will take place from March 19-21! For this year’s conference, we invite proposals for papers, roundtable discussions, creative pieces, workshops, and pre-constituted panels from graduate students by Jan 15. Full details are available on our site: www.cmu.edu/dietrich/eng...

Professor Kathy M. Newman will be facilitating the Q&A for Beth Macy's talk at @pghartslectures.bsky.social this evening. Tickets are still available: pittsburghlectures.culturaldistrict.org/production/9...

A new piece by Professor of English David Shumway! 📚 ⬇️

Giving directly to the Pittsburgh Review of Books is another way to support our department! The journal gives our students critical experience in editing and publishing that leaves them well-prepared for the world beyond campus. #GivingCMUDay

Read all about it: Neema Avashia '01 interviews author and journalist Beth Macy in advance of her appearance at @pghartslectures.bsky.social next week. ⬇️

In our department, we’re proud to cultivate the skills that last a lifetime. Our graduates go on to become doctors, authors, venture capitalists, filmmakers, lawyers and CEOs. An English education at CMU provides more than a degree — it provides equipment for living. givenow.cmu.edu/schools/Carn...

In our department, we’re proud to cultivate the skills that last a lifetime. Our graduates go on to become doctors, authors, venture capitalists, filmmakers, lawyers and CEOs. An English education at CMU provides more than a degree — it provides equipment for living. givenow.cmu.edu/schools/Carn...

Weekend reading: Lecturer Ed Simon published a review of Daniel Swift's THE DREAM FACTORY in the New York Times: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/22/b...

WOVEN Issue 7 is live! This issue presents exceptional work from students in courses across the Dietrich College General Education Program. Co-founded and co-edited by Alan Thomas Kohler and Courtney Novosat, the journal is released twice per year. Read it here: www.cmu.edu/dietrich/gen...

Professor Kathy M. Newman recently talked with Daniel H. Wilson about his work, including new book HOLE IN THE SKY, at the Pittsburgh Review of Books. @pghreviewofbooks.bsky.social

For the Pittsburgh Review of Books, Senior Lecturer Courtney Novosat recently interviewed George Packer, in advance of his 11/17 appearance at @cityofasylum.bsky.social. Read their conversation below:

Exploring the human dimensions of space exploration: CMU English will host the (In)hospitable Space Conference from 5/25-27, 2026 in partnership w/the Society for Social and Conceptual Issues in Astrobiology + the European Astrobiology Institute. We're accepting submissions until 2/1. bit.ly/4oZQTy7

Our department, along with the @CenterPNP, is proud to celebrate Jane Austen's 250th birthday by hosting a month-long read-along of Pride and Prejudice. Participants from all over the university attended the tea party kickoff.

Know a rising junior or senior in high school who is into writing, film, visual design, and culture? They might be interested in our Pre-College Program! The program runs from 6/20 - 7/18/26, with applications being accepted through 3/1. www.cmu.edu/pre-college/...

Rachael Mulvihill, LCS PhD Candidate, was awarded the Kenneth M. Roemer Innovative Course Design award at the 2025 Society for Utopian Studies conference for her course, "Utopia in the Age of Neoliberal Affect: Fiction, Film, and Video Games." 👏 @utopianstudpsu.bsky.social (1/2)

Presented in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh Contemporary Writers Series, the department is pleased to welcome Cathy Linh Che and Paisley Rekdal for appearances open to the public on November 5 and 6.

There's still time to apply for one of several full-time positions in computational humanities at Carnegie Mellon University * Assistant Teaching Track Prof in Computational Humanitiesapply.interfolio.com/173622 * Assistant Tenure Track Prof in Computational Humanities apply.interfolio.com/173626

Know a rising junior or senior in high school who is into writing, film, visual design, and culture? They might be interested in our Pre-College Program! The program runs from 6/20 - 7/18/26, with applications being accepted through 3/1. www.cmu.edu/pre-college/...

Join us for the Center for Print, Networks, & Performance speaker series! Dr. Sarah Marsh will give a presentation on how the mathematician and astronomer Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806) mapped a "science of emancipation" in his Almanack. Please join us on October 23 at 4:30 p.m. in Posner 234.

Join us for the Center for Print, Networks, & Performance speaker series! Dr. Sarah Marsh will give a presentation on how the mathematician and astronomer Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806) mapped a "science of emancipation" in his Almanack. Please join us on October 23 at 4:30 p.m. in Posner 234.

In 1947, some Hollywood stars including Henry Fonda stood up to anti-communist witch hunts. Now, Jane Fonda and artists like Viola Davis, Pedro Pascal and Billie Eilish are reviving their organization — the Committee for the First Amendment — to defend free speech again. buff.ly/B79gBQX #polisky

Associate Professor of English Kathy M. Newman, whose work focuses on "the relationship between mass culture and the masses," recently wrote about free speech and the efforts to protect it for @us.theconversation.com. theconversation.com/jane-fonda-o...

Ed Simon explores Americanism in Edgar Allan Poe’s work (and the abject horrors of being buried alive).

"In averaging out the predictions of various scholars, he arrives at a one-in-three chance of global collapse by the conclusion of the 21st century." Ed Simon reviews Luke Kemp's “Goliath’s Curse" in a new piece up today at the New York Times. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/b...

Those w/ skills in cultural and computational analysis will play a vital role in tech, says @paulakrebs.bsky.social, commenting on CMU's new PhD: "These graduates will be the translators, who enable companies to make ethical decisions and keep people in mind.” www.insidehighered.com/news/tech-in...

"No student will be able to leave the program without a strong grounding in using computers to ask and answer humanities questions." CMU's Dietrich College is equipping humanists with the tools needed to answer big societal questions through a new Ph.D. program in computational cultural studies.