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Message from the Chair

Welcome to 91ĹÝܽ’s Department of English as we celebrate our 60th anniversary! From our origins to today, we continue to be a dynamic department where vital, active scholars write and study challenging literary works and inspire students to imagine worlds past, present, and future. An undergraduate degree in English literature allows students to develop the analytical, communication, and cognitive skills that prepare them for many possible careers. Our graduate program guides MA and PhD students through studies in a diverse range of literary fields—from medieval studies to contemporary poetry and poetics, 18th-century media to psychoanalytic theory, and rhetoric and discourse analysis to digital humanities. By refining research and critical thinking abilities and learning to write cogently and persuasively, English students are able to interpret and use the written word effectively. But there’s more to an English degree than this!

In a time when our world faces increasingly complex and urgent challenges, a deeper understanding of what human lives have been, what they are today, and what they could be tomorrow is essential to helping us move forward with grace and empathy, wit and imagination. Such an understanding can be found in the study of literatures in English through the ages, and in the practice of critical and creative writing today. The study of English literature, I insist, is still one of the best preparations for a life well lived—for the undertaking of what one poet calls “the miraculous task of living.” In 2025, SFU English celebrates 60 years of engagement with this miraculous task.

(left to right) professor Tom Grieve (retired), professor Jeff Derksen, and SFU English alumni Laura Menzies and Rick McGrath

Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of SFU English

How do you celebrate the 60th anniversary of 91ĹÝܽ’s Department of English? When this challenge presented itself, it seemed almost insurmountable. Yet, a couple of weeks ago, we pulled it off!

Read more about our celebration on October 16th, 2025...

91ĹÝÜ˝'s Department of English

For 60 years, SFU English has been exploring the English language’s fundamental role in the shaping the world and our experience of it. We’ve helped our students develop their skills and discover the opportunities waiting for them. Our award-winning faculty, past and present, include authors of drama, fiction, and poetry, as well as scholarly books and articles. They support our students through undergraduate and graduate courses in areas as diverse as medieval studies and poetry, rhetoric and discourse analysis, contemporary Canadian poetics, and much more.

Careers

SFU English alumni enjoy vibrant careers in a range of fields. Our department bookshelf features alumni who have published fiction and non-fiction. Other careers SFU English grads have pursued include:

  • Author/writer
  • Communications coordinator
  • Educator
  • Journalist
  • Lawyer
  • Public relations specialist

Testimonials

“I didn’t think that my degree would lead me to a job so quickly that was so aligned with English, and where I’m also learning new things.” —Meghan Danyluk (SFU English grad 2025)

“Professor Stephen Collis is so inspiring. He’s very dedicated to helping young and emerging writers. He’s taught me so much about writing and has always encouraged me to challenge myself.” â€”Isabella Wang (SFU English grad 2023)

“The community within my department that welcomed me, helped me grow, and enthusiastically supported me through my degree helped me feel more confident that I can add value to my community too” â€”Sun Woo Baik (SFU English grad 2021)

“What English does for you, in a way that no other degree will do for you, is having you read a variety of texts and distill them in a way that makes sense.” —Negin Alavi (SFU English grad 2013)

Literary Hits

Listen to our —Music from 1965 to now, inspired by literature.

Track List:

  1. Mr. Tambourine Man (Bob Dylan) – 1965 - linked to the poetry of Arthur Rimbaud
  2. The Dangling Conversation (Simon & Garfunkel) – 1966 – includes the lyrics, “And you read your Emily Dickinson/And I my Robert Frost”
  3. White Rabbit (Jefferson Airplane) – 1967 – linked to Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass
  4. Tales of Brave Ulysses (Cream) – 1967 – literary reference to the hero Odysseus or Ulysses from Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey
  5. End of Night (The Doors) – 1967 – the title is from Louis-Ferdinand Celine’s novel, Journey to the End of Night; the line “Some are born to sweet delight; some are born to the endless night” is from William Blake’s poem, “Auguries of Innocence”
  6. A Rose for Emily (The Zombies) – 1968 -literary reference to William Faulkner’s 1930 short story of the same name
  7. Ramble On (Led Zepplin) – 1969 – includes literary references to J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings
  8. Rocket Man (Elton John) – 1972 – inspired by Ray Bradbury’s 1951 short story, “The Rocket Man”
  9. Don Quixote (Gordon Lightfoot) -1972 – inspired by the character of Don Quixote from Miguel de Cervantes’ novel of the same name
  10. Wuthering Heights (Kate Bush) – 1978 – inspired by the novel of the same name by Emily Brontë
  11. Video Killed the Radio Star (The Buggles) – 1979 – inspired by J.G. Ballard’s short story, “The Sound-Sweep”
  12. Don’t Stand So Close to Me (The Police) – 1980 – refers to the novel Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov in the line, "Just like the old man in / That book by Nabokov"
  13. Romeo and Juliet (Dire Straits) – 1980 – refers to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
  14. Cassandra (ABBA) – 1981 – refers to the Greek mythological figure of Cassandra who appears in Homer’s epic poem, The Illiad
  15. The Lady of Shalott (Loreena McKennitt) – 1991 – refers to the poem of the same name by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
  16. Who Wrote Holden Caulfied (Green Day) – 1991 – refers to J.D. Salinger’s novel, Catcher in the Rye
  17. The Ghost of Tom Joad (Bruce Springsteen) – 1995 – inspired by John Steinbeck’s novel, The Grapes of Wrath
  18. Love Story (Taylor Swift) – 2008 – refers to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
  19. Young and Beautiful (Lana Del Rey) – 2013 – written for the 2013 film adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby
  20. Lost Boy (Ruth B.) – 2015 – literary reference to J.M. Barrie’s novel, Peter Pan
  21. Matilda (Harry Styles) – 2022 – literary reference to Roald Dahl’s novel, Matilda

Trivia Game - Literature, History of SFU, and History of SFU English Questions

Our professors, alumni, students, and staff answered these questions at our anniversary celebration. How many do you know? Check your answers at the bottom of the page. (No Googling allowed!)

  1. Who is the narrator of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick?
  2. Which singer-songwriter won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016
  3. How many novels did Sylvia Plath write?
  4. In Shakespeare’s King Lear, who is the youngest daughter?
  5. Which Philip K. Dick novel was the basis for the 1982 movie, Blade Runner?
  6. How many times is Elizabeth Bennett proposed to in Pride and Prejudice?
  7. Who was the first African American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction?
  8. Who wrote Sir Gawain and the Green Knight?
  9. In Homer’s The Odyssey, what is the name of Odysseus’ home island?
  10. What is the sequel to Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale called?
  11. What was poet Robert Service’s job while he lived in the Yukon?
  12. The 2024 Netflix series, Ripley, is based on novels created by which author?
  13. Which Canadian artist wrote the memoir, Klee Wyck?
  14. What is the name of the captain in Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues under the Sea?
  15. Empire of the Sun by J. G. Ballard was set during which war?
  16. Who was SFU’s first chancellor?
  17. When SFU opened, how many students were there?
  18. Who designed SFU’s ceremonial mace
  19. Which prime minister’s aunt was crowned Miss SFU in 1965-66?
  20. Who gave SFU’s first convocation address?
  21. Which SFU English professor wrote the novel, Brother, which was made into a 2022 movie?
  22. Which Ellen and Warren Tallman writer-in-residence wrote Tomboy Survival Guide?
  23. SFU English alumnus Alix Shield discovered two missing pages from this 1973 book by Maria Campbell.
  24. Which of the following is not a former pen name of George Bowering, Professor Emeritus? A) Eric Blackhead B) Ellen Field C) Nick Hardy D) Ed Prato
  25. Which SFU English alumnus wrote Empty Spaces?
  26. When does the department and Canada celebrate Poetry Month?
  27. The Research Centre for Scottish Studies has hosted this founder of Gung Haggis Fat Choy many times.
  28. Who founded the Ellen and Warren Tallman Writer-in-Residence Program in 2004?
  29. How many pages does an SFU English honours paper need to be?
  30. Which SFU English professor brings her adorable corgi, Rookie Potato, to class?

Trivia Answer Key

  1. Ishmael
  2. Bob Dylan
  3. One
  4. Cordelia
  5. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep
  6. Three
  7. Alice Walker
  8. The Gawain Poet or Unknown
  9. Ithaca
  10. The Testaments
  11. Bank clerk
  12. Patricia Highsmith
  13. Emily Carr
  14. Nemo
  15. World War II
  16. Gordon M. Shrum
  17. 2000-2500
  18. Bill Reid
  19. Justin Trudeau (Aunt Rosalind Sinclair – Margaret [Sinclair] Trudeau’s sister)
  20. Marshall McLuhen
  21. David Chariandy
  22. Ivan Coyote
  23. Halfbreed
  24. C) Nick Hardy
  25. Jordan Abel
  26. April
  27. Toddish McWong/Todd Wong
  28. Roy Miki
  29. 25
  30. Professor Diana Solomon
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