Community
Students in the Department of English as well as those interested in Creative Writing, Literature, and Rhetoric and Writing can find a variety of ways to connect with like-minded students on campus. We have multiple student organizations supported by the department including Sigma Tau Delta, the English honors society and the Creative Writing Club.
Starting in 2026, we are also hosting our annual faculty reading recommendations here for ready reference!
Sigma Tau Delta
Sigma Tau Delta, the English honors society, is a vibrant community of majors, minors, and English enthusiasts from across campus. With over 80 members and regular campus events, Sigma Tau Delta has a lot to offer. You can find them on Instagram as well as on Hogsync.
The Creative Writing Club
The Creative Writing Club at the University of Arkansas is a growing community of students who share an interest in creative writing. Weekly events include workshops, writing exercises, and sometimes a specialized community-based activity, like bookmark making or board game night.
All University of Arkansas students are welcome, as are all forms and genres of creative writing. The Creative Writing Club at the University of Arkansas strives to facilitate a supportive environment where writers from all skill levels feel welcome, respected, and inspired.
We have 42 members and counting. Membership is open to any student who is enrolled in at least one credit hour at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.
- Dedicated time for writing and workshopping.
- Writing activities to help hone your craft.
- Space for writers to find others with the same interest as them.
Spring 2026 Schedule:
We meet Tuesdays from 5-7pm in Gearhart Hall 150 to workshop each other's writing and Thursdays from 5-7pm in Kimpel 310 for general meetings. Our first spring meeting will be during the second week of classes.
For more information, you can find the CW club on Instagram and Hogsync.
Annual English Department Reading Recommendations, 2026
2026 marks our inaugural departmental readings list for the new year. At the close of 2025, we surveyed our faculty for their reading recommendations for the upcoming Winter Break and beyond, and the below are the compiled suggestions. We hope that if you're looking to commit to more reading in the new year that you'll enjoy these selections amongst your other reads.
Babel by R.F. Kuang
Recommended by Dr. William Quinn:
"Philology + postcolonialism + translation theory + science fantasy = who could ask
for more?"
The Bean Trees; Demon Copperhead; Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Recommended by Professor LewEllyn Hallett
"Kingsolver is the master of creating a view of the world through the eyes and voice of her characters. These books give you great writing with compelling plots and characters you don't want to let go of. Plus a view into the culture and attitudes of Appalachia."
Blood Over Bright Haven by M. L. Wang
Recommended by Dr. Maggie Fernandes:
"This standalone dark academia fantasy novel explores the intersections of academia, institutional sexism, and colonialism. It's a perfect winter break read for fans of R.F. Kuang's Babel or The Poppy Wars."
Come and Get It by Kiley Reid
Recommended by Professor Padma Viswanathan:
"A plot-forward, super-smart novel by a NY Times bestselling writer, set right here in Fayetteville, AR--what better holiday read? To be enjoyed over an Arsaga's coffee or, if we get a warm spell, even on a bench at Wilson Park."
Enduring Digital Damage by Dustin Edwards
Recommended by Dr. McIntyre
"It's smart. It's beautifully written. And with its attention to the community and environmental damage done by Big Tech, it could not be more timely."
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818 edition) by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Recommended by Dr. Lissette Lopez Szwydky
"Everyone *knows* Frankenstein, even if they don't know Shelley's novel. Frankenstein is one of the most frequently adapted novels of all time, and it is a cornerstone of the literary canon and pop culture alike. Every English major should read Frankenstein several times. Once for plot and every other time for some new discovery. Each year new 'Frankensteins' are born, and English majors should learn and embrace these new stories as they are adapted and reshaped to fit the cultural environments and anxieties of new generations."
The Greatest Sentence Ever Written by Walter Isaacson
Recommended by Dr. Sidney Burris
"This book, a 2025 publication, is superb. It's a 37-page analysis of the sentence, "We hold these truths to be…" And it is a page turner, so well written and so readable. And the Appendices contain 20 pages of historical documents the Framers used to write the Declaration.
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
Recommended by Dr. Casey Kayser:
"In her book, McCullers creates a beautiful portrait of a small town and the characters there, who are different from each other in significant ways—race, gender, age, (dis)ability, politics—but search for, and in some cases, find connectedness. This is the novel that made me fall in love with southern literature and Carson McCullers' work. I'm not alone--it was selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of all time and it appeared on the The Atlantic’s list of Great American Novels of the Past 100 Years!"
King Sorrow by Joe Hill
Recommended by Professor Bryan Hurt
"I’ll recommend King Sorrow by Joe Hill. Hill, famously, is the son of Stephen King, though he’s a respected and wildly successful novelist in his own right. King Sorrow is Hill’s first novel in nearly a decade. It’s the story of a group of college friends who summon a dragon to get a blackmailing drug dealer off their backs and the horrible consequences that follow. The story spans decades, continents, and multiple genres—and a standout section takes place aboard a 747 hurtling across the Atlantic. It’s also a book that’s in deep conversation with King’s earlier work, particularly It. I listened ot the audiobook and wholly recommend it. The production and acting are top notch."
Life after Life by Joshua Barkman
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Recommended by Dr. Yajaira Padilla
"An entertaining and thoughtful take on the classic Gothic novel set in 1940s Mexico that includes references to European colonization, eugenics, Mexico's famed cinematic history, a love story, incest, and magic mushrooms on steroids. What else can you ask for?"
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Recommended by Dr. Joshua Byron Smith
"A wonderfully disorienting novella with a compelling narrator. It's a mix of sci-fi and fantasy, with synthwave aesthetics."
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Recommended by Dr. Lora Walsh
"I've heard this book described as a 'why dunnit' instead of a 'who dunnit.' The narrator also has a truly grueling Winter Break! Yours might seem cozy by comparison."
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
Recommended by Dr. Mary Beth Long:
"Set at Christmastime in 1980s Ireland, this book is short enough to read on a car/plane/train ride but meaty enough to give you something to think about when you arrive."
There is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America by Brian Goldstone
Recommended by Dr. Lisa Hinrichsen
"Goldstone has written a powerful study of the difficulty of being 'the working homeless' in contemporary Atlanta. It's a compassionate but unflinching story, and a persuasive case for affordable housing."
They Flew by Carlos Eire
Recommended by Dr. Bob Cochran:
"It has a subtitle composed by a marketer (something like “A History of the Impossible,”),but it’s actually a history of levitation, especially levitation regarded as a sign of sanctity. This fellow Eire is erudite (teaches at Yale, I forget the discipline). But also refreshingly nutty—fabulous illustrations!!"
This is Water by David Foster Wallace/The Solace of Open Spaces by Gretel Ehrlich/The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar
Recommended by Dr. Kat Gray
"Two sisters, Esther and Ysabel Hawthorn live on the edge of Faerie and tend the town's enchanted willows, as their family has done for generations - but when Esther turns down a marriage proposal from a mortal in favor of a lover from Faerie, her entire family is endangered. Canadian writer Amal El-Mohtar offers readers a beautiful, short novel that is part fairy story, part Scottish murder ballad, filled with light, poetic prose that takes the reader entirely into the fantasy."
