Highlights from a month that bloomed with new accomplishments.
by Fabiola M. Martinez Del Valle
April brought a burst of creative, scholarly, and professional achievements across our English community. As the semester moved into its final stretch, our faculty, students, and alumni continued to shine in awards, publications, and new opportunities.
Awards and Achievements
- Alison Rollins (Creative Writing Assistant Professor) was selected as a recipient of the 2026 Whiting Award, one of the top national honors for emerging writers.
- Amanda Shubert (Literary Studies Teaching Faculty) was awarded an Ida Cornelia Beam Distinguished Visiting Professorship at the University of Iowa, sponsored by the Departments of English and Jewish Studies.
- Jacee Cho (English Language and Linguistics Professor) was selected as a recipient of the UW–Madison Award for Mentoring Undergraduates in Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activities.
- Kuhelika Ghosh (Literary Studies PhD student) received an ACLS Leading Edge Fellowship, which will allow her to work with a nonprofit of her choice for the next year, extending the Wisconsin Idea beyond campus.
- Maurice J. Norman (Poetry MFA student) won the Graduate Student Arts Award at the Division of the Arts’ Creative Arts Awards ceremony on April 20.
- Theophilus Okunlola (Literary Studies PhD student) has accepted a tenure‑track position at SUNY Buffalo as an assistant professor of disability studies in the Department of English.
- Vivian Ye (Graduate Program Manager) won the 2026 Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Arts Award at the Division of the Arts’ Creative Arts Awards ceremony on April 20.
Publications
- Martin Nystrand (Professor Emeritus) has a forthcoming book: Reciprocity as a Principle of Educational Discourse: Selected Writings of Martin Nystrand.
- Sujash Purna (Composition and Rhetoric PhD student) had two photography/visual art pieces—Helen’s View and Canopy Shy—accepted for publication in the spring/summer issue of the Xinachtli Journal (Journal X). The online issue will be available in May 2026.
Publicity
- Alison Rollins was featured in a profile piece in The Cap Times celebrating her Whiting Award.