Spotlight

Angela Kaija posing in front of a lake, outlined with trees and an inkling of mountains in the background. The grass behind her is vividly green with a scattering of grazing Canada geese. Angela is wearing a black shirt with a a braided necklace. She wears a dangling circular earring on her left ear and dark rimmed glasses.

Happy Retirement, Angela Kaija!

Administrative Manager Angela Kaija has been with the Department of English Language & Literatures for 18 years. Happy retirement, Angela, and all the best in your new adventures!

Covers for book-length texts highlighted in this editorial. Top row from left: Bla_k: Essays and Interviews (NourbeSe Philip), Mules and Men (Zora Neale Hurston), Necropolitics (Achille Mbembe), White Negroes: When Cornrows Were in Vogue…and Other Thoughts on Cultural Appropriation (Lauren Michele Jackson), Zong! (NourbeSe Philip). Bottom row from left: She Tries Her Tongue, Her Silence Softly Breaks (NourbeSe Philip), Their Eyes Were Watching God (Zora Neale Hurston), Sensual Excess: Queer Femininity and Brown Jouissance (Amber Jamilla Musser), On the Postcolony (Achille Mbembe), Sensational Flesh: Race, Power, and Masochism (Amber Jamilla Musser).

Black Writers and Critics You Should Know About, According to EL&L Grad Students

The canon of English literature and ensuing literary criticism hasn’t always welcomed diverse voices, especially those of Black and brown women. Graduate students in the Department of English Language & Literatures highlight the Black writers and critics whose work are critical in shaping their own.

Denzel Washington as Macbeth in Joel Coen’s recent film The Tragedy of Macbeth.

Prof. Dennis Austin Britton: Black People’s Relationship with Shakespeare is Complicated

“Black people have insisted that they can do with Shakespeare as they choose, in ways that give them pleasure and affirm who they are,” writes Dr. Dennis Austin Britton.

Meet four Black scholars leading innovative research in the Faculty of Arts

Meet four Black scholars leading innovative research in the Faculty of Arts

Four Black scholars from across the Faculty of Arts, including Dr. Dennis Britton, talk about their inspiring research, the importance of Black storytelling and world-building, and their advice for aspiring scholars.

The First Folio, open to a page with a portrait of William Shakespeare.

William Shakespeare’s First Folio published in 1623 gifted to UBC Library

The First Folio, as it’s also known, includes 36 of Shakespeare’s 38 known plays, edited by his close friends, fellow writers and actors. The 1623 publication is considered the most authoritative of all early printings.

Stephen Guy-Bray posing with his arms crossed to the right of a square painting. He is wearing a dress shirt with the top button undone covered in intricate black and white fine print patterns. He is smiling.

Professor Stephen Guy-Bray Elected to the Royal Society of Canada

Dr. Guy-Bray was one of the first Canadian scholars working in what was then Gay and Lesbian Studies; he has made significant contributions in this field for the last thirty years.

Charles Campbell. Tree: Finding Accompong, 2021. Mixed media sculpture with audio. Photo by Ian Lefebvre, Vancouver Art Gallery.

Listening for Echos: Bridging Community and Classroom Practices with Professor Phanuel Antwi

In this interview, Dr. Phanuel Antwi shares how the coming together of pedagogical and curatorial practices can change the weather of the current moment, whether it’s in the classroom or an art exhibition. 

An image of Dr. Barbara Dancygier next to text that reads Know Your Profs with Dr. Barbara Dancygier. Dr. Dancygier is wearing is blue shirt. She has shoulder-length red hair, oval glasses, and a watch with black straps. She rests a hand on her chin and smiles slightly at the camera.

Know Your Profs with Dr. Barbara Dancygier

Dr. Barbara Dancygier specializes in cognitive linguistics. In this instalment of Know Your Profs, she reminds us language is infinitely flexible, and so is meaning. She also shares why studying the English language when it’s your second or third language can add nuance to the experience.

Rewarding integrity: Changing the conversation on cheating with Prof. Laurie McNeill

Rewarding integrity: Changing the conversation on cheating with Prof. Laurie McNeill

In this story, Dr. Laurie McNeill shares the personal journey that took her from “busting cheaters” to a more educative approach to academic integrity.

The Know Your Profs feature image with an image of Dr. Ramesh Mallipeddi and texts that read "Know Your Profs with Dr. Ramesh Mallipeddi" and "UBC Department of English Language and Literatures".

Know Your Profs with Dr. Ramesh Mallipeddi

Find out what Dr. Mallipeddi has to say about troubling the canon of “English literature”, why the study of literature must always be situated within larger cultural, social, and historical contexts, and why our perceptions of the present can never be divorced from an understanding of the past.