"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.

"And so, rather than with the breaking of seals and the blowing of trumpets, apocalypse was announced as a footnote in a buried corporate report." Read a new piece from Public Humanities Special Faculty Ed Simon, just published on Literary Hub.

“Carnegie Mellon University is tapping its strengths in computer and data science to reframe one of its humanities doctoral programs in hopes of preparing graduates to navigate an increasingly tough job market.” We recently sat down with @insidehighered.com: www.insidehighered.com/news/tech-in...

“Secrecy is the greenhouse in which addiction blooms, flourishes, and metastasizes.” Sharon Dilworth talked with Elizabeth Gilbert, author of the new book ALL THE WAY TO THE RIVER, in advance of her 9/29 appearance with @pghartslectures.bsky.social. pghrev.com/talking-abou...

WE'RE HIRING: 2 professors working at the intersection of computation + humanistic inquiry. We especially welcome candidates with expertise in artificial intelligence, machine learning, data modeling, computational linguistics, & cultural analytics. Apply by 11/1. Postings below:

WE'RE HIRING: 2 professors working at the intersection of computation + humanistic inquiry. We especially welcome candidates with expertise in artificial intelligence, machine learning, data modeling, computational linguistics, & cultural analytics. Apply by 11/1. Postings below:

Congratulations to Dr. James Wynn, recently promoted to full Professor. Wynn has been with the department since 2006 and serves as the director of the Rhetoric Program. His work explores science, mathematics, & public policy from a rhetorical perspective. Learn more here: bit.ly/3IqWvBQ

A creatively stimulating summer: Creative Writing minor Helena Starzec and Gender Studies minor Mo Nash had summer art residencies at the Vermont Studio Center and Ox-Bow, respectively. Read about their experiences here: art.cmu.edu/news/student...

Carnegie Mellon English proudly supports Ed Simon's launch of the Pittsburgh Review of Books. I like to say that @cmuenglish.bsky.social is where readers find refuge and leaders find language. It's tremendous to see Ed and ProB offering that same spirit to our city and to our world. pghrev.com

“'There’s been such a tremendous attack on the humanities in higher ed, kind of across the board,'” Simon says. He said the opposite is taking place at CMU, where he believes the school has been elevating the stature of the humanities."

The first doctoral program of its kind, our Ph.D. in Computational Cultural Studies trains students to combine historical, theoretical, and cultural scholarship with computational methodologies. We are now accepting applications for the next cohort, to begin in fall '26. Learn more: bit.ly/4mNlNcv

“More than in the subject matter we publish, or literally where we’re headquartered, the 'Pittsburgh' in The Pittsburgh Review of Books is a matter of mentality, of perspective...” We're live! Read a message from our founder and Editor-in-Chief, Ed Simon. pghrev.com/the-foundry-...

An interdisciplinary humanities periodical housed in Carnegie Mellon University’s Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences and published by @cmuenglish.bsky.social, PRoB will feature essays, reviews, interviews, and excerpts engaging with salient and pressing issues. Launching Sept. 3!

Congratulations to Professional Writing graduate Anna Cappella on being awarded a Fulbright for 2025-26!

Students from all over the U.S. attended this summer's Writing & Culture pre-college program. Our largest group yet spent a month working with a number of department faculty to explore effective storytelling. The program will also be offered in 2026. Details here: www.cmu.edu/pre-college/...

Read all about the latest happenings in our department and beyond in the new edition of the Alumni Newsletter! mailchi.mp/465ad7ea1dae...

Keep your brain busy over the summer with this lecture series, available in-person or over Zoom! Professor @chrisvvarren.bsky.social speaks on July 30.

A new hub for literature! The Pittsburgh Review of Books will be both in Pittsburgh (and the Rust Belt) and of the wider world; a means of introducing the region’s vibrant literary community into national conversations as well as bringing those conversations here. beltmag.com/introducing-...

Can digitization preserve the past, or does it merely reinvent it? My latest article traces the metadata anomalies and hidden labor that haunt one digital surrogate: Thomas May’s The Tragedie of Cleopatra. Check it out here!

In this month's Dietrich College Faculty Spotlight, get to know Camille Rankine, a writer and assistant professor in our department’s Creative Writing Program. www.cmu.edu/dietrich/new...

“It’s been so fun to help them realize that research doesn’t have to be scary — and that we’re here to help them every step of the way.” Read about how CMU Libraries staff supports the First-Year Writing Program. www.cmu.edu/dietrich/new...

“What is a totalitarian leader other than an individualist taking that creed to its cruel conclusions, erasing the uniqueness of every other person into mere characters in a drama?” In a new piece for Literary Hub, Ed Simon examines “the dark magic of words.”

The first doctoral program of its kind, our new Ph.D. in Computational Cultural Studies trains students to combine historical, theoretical, and cultural scholarship with computational methodologies. To learn more: www.cmu.edu/dietrich/english/academic-programs/computational-cultural-studies

Christopher Warren has been appointed the next head of the Department of English at Carnegie Mellon University, effective Aug. 1. Warren is an expert in 16th and 17th century literature and culture, including figures such as Shakespeare and Milton. @cmuenglish.bsky.social

After a fruitful decade of leadership, Dr. Andreea Ritivoi will pass the baton to Dr. Christopher Warren, who begins his term as English Department Head on August 1. Read more about Warren and his work here: www.cmu.edu/dietrich/new...

Our new digital humanities article, which I’ve authored alongside my colleagues across @cmuenglish.bsky.social and @cmu.edu's Statistics & Data Science Dept, is out! What happens when students offload writing about data to AI? Check it out: doi.org/10.1080/2693...

The Department of English community gathered on Saturday, May 10 for the 2025 Commencement of both undergraduate and graduate students. Read all about the ceremony here: www.cmu.edu/dietrich/eng...

A group of CMU undergraduates immersed themselves in the nation's capital, connecting with professionals and gaining real-world insights into careers in the humanities. Read about the inaugural Humanities Trek, in a story written by our students! www.cmu.edu/dietrich/new...

Congratulations to senior Alison Zheng, whose project "Unraveling the Decline of Pittsburgh's Chinatown in a Post-Steel Society," the subject of an independent study with Professor Jeffrey Williams, has been selected by judges at Meeting of the Minds to receive a Dietrich Humanities Prize.

Don't miss your chance to hear from @camillerankine.bsky.social tonight! #poetrycommunity #poetry

Keep your brain busy over the summer with this lecture series, available in-person or over Zoom! Professor @chrisvvarren.bsky.social speaks on July 30.

Distinguished scholar Dr. Jessica Restaino (Montclair State University) gave the talk “'Every Method's a Trap' (and I Feel Fine): The Rhetorical Magic of Becoming a New Subject" at the spring Rhetoric Colloquium. Read the full story here: www.facebook.com/share/p/16V8...

Are you a graduate of one of our programs? We’d love to hear what you’ve been up to! Use the form below to share any recent professional successes for possible inclusion in an upcoming Alumni Newsletter. docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Asst. Professor Dr. Nupoor Ranade presented at the recent Write the Docs Pittsburgh meetup. "Making AI Visible in Technical Communication" addressed one of today's most timely conversations: how technical communicators can navigate the evolving GenAI landscape. Watch here: youtu.be/R7tZAQYwto4?....

Nicole Tanquary, a Rhetoric Ph.D. candidate, is the recipient of the 2025 CMU Graduate Student Teaching Award. Read more here: www.cmu.edu/dietrich/new...

Eunji Jo, LCS Ph.D. candidate, has received the 2025 Dietrich College Graduate Student Teaching Award, which recognizes outstanding expertise in all areas of curriculum development, including classroom teaching and student mentoring. Read more here: www.cmu.edu/dietrich/new...

WOVEN #6 is live! In this issue, students from courses across the Dietrich College GenEd Program pick up the mantle of inquiry to interrogate themes of power and authority, memory and memorialization, cultural critique and interdisciplinary analysis. www.cmu.edu/dietrich/gen...

WOVEN #6 is live! In this issue, students from courses across the Dietrich College GenEd Program pick up the mantle of inquiry to interrogate themes of power and authority, memory and memorialization, cultural critique and interdisciplinary analysis. www.cmu.edu/dietrich/gen...

The Adamson Awards are presented for excellence in fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, and are open to undergraduate students throughout the University community. This year's ceremony will take place on Weds. 4/23, from 5:00 - 6:30 p.m., in Baker Hall 136-A, with featured reader Caryl Phillips.

📢 Join us for a talk by Dr. Nicole Aljoe (Tufts) about Black Britons' letters & early Black print culture! 📍 Posner Hall 234 📅 Wed, April 23 | 4:30 – 6:30 PM

Congratulations to Writing & Communication Lecturer Barbara George, who has been selected as one of the 2025-2026 Provost’s Inclusive Teaching Fellows at Carnegie Mellon's Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence and Educational Innovation!

Join us and CMU Libraries for Week of Will (April 19–27), which includes a dramatic Macbeth reading, rare First Folio viewing, cupcakes, soliloquies, puppets & more! On Tuesday 4/22, a dramatic reading of Macbeth will take place in Posner Hall. 🗓️ Details: pittsburghshakespeare.org

With a theme of "The Archive," and consisting of 63 presentations from 70 presenters representing 55 institutions across 13 countries and 24 states, the 5th Bridges and Borders conference was a success! Read the full recap here: www.facebook.com/share/p/1Jpr...

How is AI changing learning? A new story sheds light on this topic, touching on the work of Rhetoric PhD alum Emily DeJeu and Senior Lecturer in Writing & Communication Alan Thomas Kohler. www.cmu.edu/news/stories...

Prof. Ralph Vituccio’s latest film, Sisyphus Beach, will open the Ethnografilm Festival in Paris on 4/18. Ralph will present the film and lead a Q&A. The film shows the chaotic, almost surreal world of Alang, India, where workers toil in extreme conditions in the world's largest shipbreaking yards.

Congratulations to Mauricio Ortiz Rousset, M.A. in Literary & Cultural Studies, recently awarded a $1,000 USD scholarship through the La Promesa Foundation, which supports academically talented Hispanic students in the Southwestern Pennsylvania region in their pursuit of higher education.

The Adamson Awards are presented for excellence in fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, and are open to undergraduate students throughout the University community. This year's ceremony will take place on Weds. 4/23, from 5:00 - 6:30 p.m., in Baker Hall 136-A, with featured reader Caryl Phillips.

Join us for Rhetoric's Spring Colloquium on Thurs. 4/17 from 11 a.m. - 12:20 p.m. in the Johnstone Room (Posner Hall 234). Professor Jessica Restaino, Montclair State University, will present the talk "'Every Method's a Trap' (and I Feel Fine): The Rhetorical Magic of Becoming a New Subject."