English

Alum's Debut Novel Receiving Acclaim

Michelle Hart '11 began writing "We Do What We Do In The Dark" while she was still a student in Professor Martha McPhee's creative writing class. For this reason, returning to campus as part of the Great Writers, Great Readings series in the fall 2022 was a very full-circle moment for the alum. (Photo by Candice Singh)

Writing YA with a Middle Eastern Flair

During her senior year, Hebah Uddin '17 celebrated the publication of her first novel, "The Gauntlet," a YA adventure story with a Middle Eastern flair. "The Gauntlet" – which Uddin wrote under the pen name Karuna Riazi – is about a trio of friends from New York City who find themselves trapped inside a mechanical board game that they must dismantle to save themselves and generations of other children.

Publishing by the Numbers

While many English students are focused on the writing and editing aspects of publishing, Ben Suazo '14, who graduated Phi Beta Kappa, found his niche working with data and interpreting industry trends.

Alum is SAT Insider

Amanda Filchock ’15 grew up loving books, but was unsure how to channel her passion into a career. She was intrigued by Hofstra’s publishing studies program and after graduating in 2015 was hired by The College Board, the not-for-profit organization that promotes college readiness and administers exams such as the SATs, PSATs, and Advanced Placement tests.

Praise for Professor's New Novel

"An Elegant Woman," the fifth novel by Professor of English Martha McPhee, generated buzz in the literary world in 2020. Drawn from Professor McPhee’s own family history, "An Elegant Woman" is a story of discovery and reinvention, following four generations of women in one American family.

Remembering Alumnus and Pulitzer-Winner Stephen Dunn

The Hofstra community is saddened by the passing of Pulitzer Prize-winner and alumnus Stephen Dunn ‘62, the author of 21 books of poetry and two books of prose, including Different Hours, which won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for poetry.

Dunn donated his personal and professional papers to the Special Collections unit of Hofstra University’s Axinn Library. The Stephen Dunn Collection is a resource available to Hofstra students, faculty and members of the literary community.

Twentieth-Century Literature

Hofstra University is home to the respected academic journal Twentieth-Century Literature (TCL), which publishes essays, and reviews and awards the annual Andrew J. Kappel Prize in Literary Criticism. Professor Lee Zimmerman serves as the publication's academic editor.

Dana Brand Prize

Students' Writing Talents Honored

The writing talents of two Hofstra students were recently honored with the Dana Brand Prize, an award named for a popular English professor who passed away in 2011. May 2022 graduate Zachary Parrish received the award for “The Consequences of Denialistic Responses to Atrocity,” an essay of literary criticism. Katherine Choma ‘23 is the prize’s first recipient for a work of creative nonfiction: “The Things They Will Tell You/The Things I Wish I Said.”