WKU Department of English

06/17/2026

The Kentucky Folklife Program and the Kentucky Folklife Digital Magazine are thrilled to commemorate “America 250” by highlighting the importance of documenting American culture and tradition through "Showcasing American Culture through Creative Nonfiction: America 250 (SACTCN)"! 🖍️

Do you have a cultural documentation project that you have been wanting to share with the public? Perhaps learn how to translate your work into published materials, exhibits, or even multimedia? 🤔

Funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, SACTCN is a series of three free virtual workshops that will introduce participants to tools for sharing cultural preservation, folk & traditional artistry, expressive culture and folklife practices through published written/multimedia materials and to venues for publishing, presenting, or promoting those materials. 🎨

Plus, participants will gain the chance to apply for publication with the Fall 2026 Issue of the Kentucky Folklife Digital Magazine. 📖

If you are a Kentuckian, 18 years of age or older, and want to explore different avenues of sharing your cultural work, this workshop is for you! 🌱

Scan the QR Code on our flyer to apply, or follow this link to head to our Google Form:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfq-NpufVckLAQrZrpWI5OB8BRVjxeux1y9Hfq6uVD_wxJIdg/viewform?usp=header

Deadline to Apply is Monday, July 6th, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Central Time. ⏰

We hope to see you there! 🥳

06/08/2026

Dan Liddle, Associate Professor with WKU English, was interviewed by NBC News in the article "Student commencement boos are a sign of wider AI woes" 🤖🗞️

💬 Liddle says, "I think many of my students are sometimes exhausted by the AI conversation,” Liddle said, “and they long for the thing that they signed up for originally, which is learning about their discipline." 💡

🔗 Read more here:
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/artificial-intelligence-students-pushback-commencement-booing-rcna345731

05/20/2026

05/20/2026

Film is a collaborative medium, and we know that meeting other filmmakers can be a challenge. This is why we're bringing together collaborators from all points in the filmmaking process for a speed-networking style matchmaking event! Hope to see you there 🎥

Learn more and register: https://www.womeninfilmky.org/events-1/match-cut-a-networking-event-for-film-collaborators

05/18/2026

🎓 Grad Student Spotlight 🎓

CONGRATULATIONS, Heather! 🎉
A third-year M.F.A. Creative Writing student, Heather Neidlinger, has been recognized as PCAL's Outstanding Graduate Student AND is the recipient of the English Department's Outstanding M.F.A. Student 👩‍🎓

Beyond her excellence in the grad journey, she has led the Open Mic Night events on campus and has been a leader in endeavors with the Creative Writing program. ✍️❣️

Although she has now reached the end of her M.F.A. program, she will be coming back to WKU in the Fall to teach English part-time! 🍎

🔗 Read more here: https://www.wku.edu/english/news/index.php?view=article&articleid=13103&return=archive

05/14/2026

Hailing from Pineville, Kentucky, Mikayla Gambrel traded the mountains for the Hill after falling in love with the vibrant opportunities and welcoming atmosphere of Bowling Green. Driven by a lifelong dream of teaching that started in preschool, she pursued a degree in English for Secondary Teachers to share her passion for self-expression and storytelling with the next generation.

Mikayla's time at WKU was defined by leadership and community, most notably serving as the president of Educators Rising Collegiate. Through this organization, she traveled the country, earned national awards, and developed the skills necessary to lead a modern classroom. Beyond the accolades, she credits the professors and friends who became like family for making her college experience truly unforgettable. As she prepares to graduate, she is heading to Warren County’s brand-new IMPACT Center for Leadership and Innovation to teach Middle School Language Arts, where she aims to inspire her students through creative, out-of-the-box learning. 🔴⚪️

Congratulations, graduates!

WKU School of Teacher Education WKU Department of English WKU Potter College of Arts & Letters

05/12/2026

🎓 Grad Student Spotlight 🎓

Grant Logan, a Graduate Student in the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Program, is earning his Master of Arts Degree this Spring from WKU English! ✨❣️

Grant presented at the Kentucky Council of Teachers this March and showcased how AI can help teach students critical thinking in his presentation "From AI Dreams to Daily Practice" 🤖🗣️ He is pursuing High School teaching and loves the skills that language learning has offered 🍎

Congratulations, Grant! 🎉

05/06/2026

🎓 CONGRATS GRADS 🎓

We are so proud of our students this semester and the graduates who are taking English with them after WKU ❣️ We can't wait to see where you go next! ✨

05/05/2026

✨ Student Spotlight ✨

Grace Gonzales has been an intern with us this semester & we celebrate her graduation from English! 🎓

Grace has always wanted to create & she found that in stories with Creative Writing.✍️ In her undergrad journey, she learned to open up and share her work, even when it was hard to allow others to read her writing. 🤲

Now, she plans to pursue a career in publishing and at the end of the day, continue to CREATE! 🌟 Congratulations, Grace! 🎉

05/05/2026

Congratulations, Riley! 🤍🤍🤍

Today's commencement spotlight is Riley James! Family tradition led her to the front of the classroom! 🍎📚

She is an English for Secondary Teachers major from Crestwood, KY! Riley chose WKU for its incredible community and strong education program, and has spent her time on the Hill giving back as a CEBS Ambassador, performing in the Big Red Marching Band, and leading at Christian Student Fellowship.

The highlight of the journey? Student teaching! Riley is officially ready to trade the student desk for the teacher’s podium as she interviews for English positions across Kentucky.

Riley’s advice: "Don’t be afraid to try something new, get involved, and step outside of your comfort zone. At the same time, don’t forget to enjoy the journey!"

Congratulations, Riley! We can’t wait to see the impact you'll have!

WKU School of Teacher Education Middle and Secondary Education at WKU- CEPT WKU Potter College of Arts & Letters WKU Department of English