“There’s this sense that you have left the world behind when you drive up the mountain. Sewanee is legendary for a reason—it’s designed for those moments of inspiration.” - Hannah, L'11
Students at the School of Letters have a wealth of opportunities they can take advantage of during their summers with us. Our extracurricular programming brings the world of writers and thinkers to students in an environment where they can develop personal connections with emerging and established voices. Our visitors don't just speak to our students from behind a podium; they are excited to get to know them and their work. Sewanee also provides opportunities for professional development.
Each week during the summer, we host a series of readings and lectures from faculty and guest speakers. These talks are a chance for students to experience first-hand how writers and scholars are pushing the boundaries of their fields, and they allow our students to interact with some of the most innovative voices in contemporary arts and letters.
Thanks to the generosity of the Blake & Bailey Family Fund, every summer we invite an outstanding writer to campus for an extended stay during the summer session. These unique guests share their work with our students through readings and workshops, they often sit in on classes and workshop sessions, and they offer mentoring and guidance to our students.
Giving our students space to present their work is an essential part of the experience at the School of Letters. All of our students are invited to participate in a reading of their creative work or their critical prose, with guidance and mentoring from our faculty advisors. The readings are open to the public, and a celebration of the exceptional work students produce during the summer term.
Sewanee has long been dedicated to literary study and artistic expression; a commitment to arts and letters has been an important part of our character from the beginning. We are home to a literary tradition that is both longstanding and forward-looking, and students at the School of Letters have the opportunity to immerse themselves in this tradition.
Our students, both past and present, have published novels as well as works of nonfiction, short fiction, and poetry. The School of Letters community celebrates these projects during every step of the process, but we know there's nothing better than holding your first publication in your hand or seeing it on the shelf in a bookstore. We couldn't be prouder of our students and faculty for their contributions to the larger literary community!
Founded in 1892, the Sewanee Review is the nation’s oldest continuously published literary quarterly. It has showcased the work of authors like T.S. Eliot, William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Sylvia Plath, Cormac McCarthy, and Flannery O’Connor while cultivating current voices like Jamie Quatro, Chris Bachelder, Tiana Clark, Virginia Craighill, and John Jeremiah Sullivan.
Each summer, Sewanee hosts the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, which brings 150 writers from across the globe to collaborate, learn, and discuss their craft. This selective, premier event includes workshops, classes, and readings for participants and guests.
A conference for middle and high school students to experience creative writing on the mountain. Never a dull moment with students from across the country and across the globe.
The home for the study of English literature and creative writing for undergraduates at Sewanee. Renowned teachers and scholars work with students on works ranging from the classical period to the present day, and develop writerly talents in fiction, playwriting, creative nonfiction and poetry.
As a memorial to his maternal grandfather, Tennessee Williams gifted his literary estate to the keeping of the University of the South. The fund generously supports the including the departments of Theater and of English and Creative Writing, the Sewanee Review, and the Sewanee Writers' Conference.
