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.

"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...