Our English majors pursue numerous paths of scholarly study and creative practice
while at MCLA. We have publishing poets and novelists, experimental filmakers and
podcasters, editors and literary scholars. Here are just a few of our current students:
Matt is the co-founder and president of the MCLA Poetry Collective, a close-knit group of poets who meet weekly to share their passion for creative writing and expression. A trained associate in MCLA’s Writing Studio, he enjoys helping students with their writing projects and assignments across disciplines. Outside the classroom, Matt is at work on a novel titled North Watcher, along with a collection of short stories and poems he hopes to share with the world soon.
His poem “Meditations” was published in the 2024 edition of Spires, the campus literary journal. Matt has also presented at MCLA’s Undergraduate Research Conference, including a collaborative session on the philosophy of Martin Heidegger and performances of his poetry during the Creative Writing Special Session.
Aja has a passion for learning about discourse communities and their ties to different backgrounds and experiences. As a freshman, she gave a presentation entitled “A Comparison of Themes between Nella Larsen and Maya Angelou” at MCLA’s Undergraduate Research Conference, and at the department’s end-of-year ceremony, she was recognized for “Excellence in Literary Criticism” for her work on James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man in her “Interpretations and Methods” course. Aja's poem "Half Boys" was published in this year's edition of Spires.
You can often find her working as a Writing Associate in the Writing Studio alongside her peers and Dr. Amber Engelson.
