Welcome to the Stanford University Department of English

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Interview with Peggy Phelan and Gavin Jones on New Critical-Creative Studies Initiative

One of the founding departments of Stanford University in 1891, the English department is the cornerstone of the humanities at Stanford. The pioneer faculty of English was an eclectic group of writers, comparativists, and literary scholars.

Front entrance of the quad from Jordan Hall to Hoover Tower, on Serra Street. From a series of images intended to "recreate" historical images from the Stanford Archives. bicycle

 

Linda A. Cicero / Stanford News Service

Undergraduate Program

To study English is to master the power of language.

On the first day of summer, junior Chaz Curet takes a break to read in the sun. The English major found a comfortable spot in the SEQ to read from 'Our Story Begins,' a collection of short stories by Stanford professor Tobias Wolff.

Linda A. Cicero / Stanford News Service

Coterminal Master of Arts

If you are an advanced undergraduate who wants to take the study of literature to a higher level, then the coterminal M.A. program is for you.

Ato Quayson speaking with Ramon Saldivar and Paula Moya

Paul Keitz

Check out our courses

Stanford English offers a wide variety of interdisciplinary courses taught by world-class faculty

A photo of Ato Quayson and Adam Johnson attending the Creative Writing Welcome Back Dinner.

Views from the Department

Professor Ato Quayson with Professor Adam Johnson at the Creative Writing program Welcome Dinner

 

 

Recent News

The Modern Language Association of America has announced the winner of the sixteenth Modern Language Association Prize for a Scholarly Edition. The prize will be presented to Ben Wiebracht, English instructor at Stanford Online High School, and students Madeline Ayer, Aidan Bekendam, Jacob Bryant, Ferris Haukom, Mayuko Karakawa, Edithe Lam, Sabine...
The English department launched a new initiative at the beginning of the 2025-26 academic year, called the Critical-Creative Studies Initiative (CCSI). Peggy Phelan will serve as the CCSI Director during its pilot phase. In the interview below, Peggy Phelan and Gavin Jones, Chair of the English Department, discuss this exciting new initiative. Ques...
In The Wayfinder, award-winning author and Stanford Professor Adam Johnson draws on the cultures and landscapes of the Polynesian islands to tell a story set 1,000 years in the past – with timely echoes for today.The new novel from Adam Johnson, the Phil and Penny Knight Professor of Creative Writing and professor of English in the School of...

Upcoming Events

February
18
Date
Wed February 18th 2026, 2:00pm - 4:00pm

The narrator, the author: you know the difference between these functions. When and why do these categories separate out to produce literary…

February
23
Date
Mon February 23rd 2026, 12:00pm - 1:30pm
Location
Building 460, Margaret Jacks Hall
450 Jane Stanford Way, Building 460, Stanford, CA 94305
426 (Terrace Room)

Please join the Center for the Study of the Novel (CSN) for an exciting lunchtime lecture by Mariana Dimópulos: “The Novel as…

February
25
Date
Wed February 25th 2026, 12:00pm - 1:15pm
Location
Building 260, Pigott Hall
450 Jane Stanford Way, Building 260, Stanford, CA 94305
252

Organized and hosted by the Center for Medieval and Early Modern Studies (CMEMS).

Mahel Hamroun (Stanford University) presents, "Saints…

Department Bookshelf

English remains a top-ranked department nationally because of the strength and variety of our faculty publications, both in scholarly research and creative writing. Browse the Bookshelf to explore our many interests.

 Browse the entire Bookshelf

2025
Karen Russell
2025
Adam Johnson
2025
Aracelis Girmay
2024
Denise Gigante and Jason Childs
2024
Elaine Treharne