The Campaign for Grinnell
books on a table beside a typewriter

English

In Grinnell’s English curriculum you will read, analyze, discuss, and enjoy American, British, Irish, and Postcolonial literature. You will do intensive writing, with the chance to produce both creative and critical works. You can study independently and travel abroad, such as on the Grinnell-in-London program, and connect with visiting authors and critics on campus.  English majors go on to pursue advanced degrees or careers in fields such as education, journalism, law, public relations, or research.

Writing at Grinnell

Dorothy Allison at Grinnell College

Writers@Grinnell

Writers@Grinnell, the English department’s reading series, brings to campus writers of all kinds: poets, novelists, memoirists, essayists, radio essayists, columnists, graphic memoirists, playwrights, and short story writers.

Meet the Writers
A student receives help from the Writing Lab

Creative Writing

The English department believes that creative writing ought to be fully integrated into the formal study of literature.

Get Creative
Ralph Savarese and Stephen Kuusisto

Ralph Savarese and Stephen Kuusisto: Oct. 29, 2020

Join us for a virtual event celebrating the publication of two recent books of poetry by acclaimed authors: “Republican Fathers” (Nine Mile Books) by Ralph James Savarese and “Old Horse, What Is to be Done?”(Tiger Bark Press) by Stephen Kuusisto.
Ada Limon & Jennifer Knox image

Ada Limón and Jennifer Knox: Nov. 10, 2020

Poets and pals Ada Limón and Jennifer L. Knox read from their award-winning work and share a public conversation, moderated by Dean Bakopoulos.
Dean and Natalie Bakopoulos image

Dean and Natalie Bakopoulos: Nov. 17, 2020

Writers @ Grinnell director Dean Bakopoulos interviews his sister, novelist and essayist Natalie Bakopoulos, author of the acclaimed new novel, Scorpionfish (Tin House, 2020).
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  • Daisy Morales '20

    How One Student Integrated Her Academic and Career Interests

    Maybe you know what career you want to pursue after college. Or maybe you don’t. Either way, you can connect your personal interests with your academic studies to help prepare for a career that matters.

    Thanks to being 9 years older than her sisters, English major Daisy Morales ’20 knew from an early age that she wanted to teach. “I didn't really know at what level until high school, when I realized that I actually wanted to do some research as well,” she says. So she set her sights on becoming a professor.

  • Erik Simpson in front of monitors

    All About the Undergraduate Experience

    "Here, the undergraduate's experience is at the center. We want undergraduates to be asking their own questions, learning how to answer them in the community, how to synthesize a lot of very complex information and bring that information to bear on a question that has made them passionate about the inquiry that they’re making."

    Professor Erik Simpson describes some of the opportunities that Grinnell College makes available to undergraduate students, including research in the digital humanities.

    Watch the Video
  • Ralph Savarese

    All Things Grinnell: See it Feelingly

    Episode 8 of the All Things Grinnell podcast features a conversation with Ralph Savarese, professor of English. In it, he talks about what autistic readers bring to literature. His book, See It Feelingly, recounts the experience of discussing classic novels with autistic readers, including his son, DJ. After a neurohumanities fellowship at Duke University's Institute for Brain Sciences, Savarese turned these experiences into a book. Part memoir, part scientific research, and part ethnography, it presents a compelling case for rethinking how we conceive of autism. The episode also features the music of Seth Hanson ’17. You can listen to and download the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

    Listen to the podcast
  • Mead hall model in 3D

    Medieval Meets Virtual

    During 2018 fall break, Tim Arner, associate dean and associate professor of English, and three students traveled to Iceland to examine Viking settlement sites and artifacts. Their trip included a visit to The Settlement Exhibition in Reykjavik, where the team learned why mead halls were constructed and how the civic and personal spaces shaped early social structures. 

    Read where Medieval Meets Virtual

English Career Outcomes

First Destinations

  • 52% Employment
  • 14% Graduate School
  • 7% Post-Graduate Service
  • 12% Fellowships
  • 7% Continuing Education
  • 7% Other

Employment

84%
Positions related to Career Goals

Positions Related to Career Goals

This graph illustrates the extent to which our graduates' first job is aligned with their career goals. It's one thing to find a job; it's an entirely different thing to land the job you want!

Employer

  • Epic
  • Harvard University
  • Iowa Finance Authority
  • Japan Exchange Teaching (JET) Program
  • National Alliance on Mental Illness
  • Public News Service
  • Routledge
  • Smithsonian Institution
  • Viacom
  • WTTW/Chicago PBS

Graduate Schools

82%
82% Accepted to 1st- or 2nd- choice programs

Graduate School Acceptance Info

Of those who applied to and were accepted to at least one program, this chart illustrates the percentage of admitted students who were accepted to either their first or second choice program and institution.

Institutions

  • Syracuse University
  • Union Theological Seminary
  • University of California
  • University of Cambridge
  • University of Illinois
  • University of Iowa
Explore More Graduate Outcomes

Department Chair

Paula V Smith

Department Information

Phone
(641) 269-4655
Fax
(641) 269-4733

Mears Cottage
1213 Sixth Ave
Grinnell, IA 50112
United States

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