English student and graduate stories
Who better to tell you about York life?
Hear directly from our students about a range of topics: why they chose York; what they love about their courses; placements; and general tips for student life at York.
Hear from our students
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My experience with assessments as a Master’s student in English at York
Posted by Anna Hi! My name is Anna and I did a master’s degree with the English department in Modern and Contemporary Literature and Culture. My favourite…
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What it’s like to study in the English Department
Posted by Maia Hello! My name is Maia, I’m an undergraduate student studying English and Politics, going into my third year. I have really enjoyed my time…
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My English placement year
Posted by Sophie Hi, I’m Sophie and I’m studying English and Politics at the University of York. Last year, I undertook a Year in Industry as part…
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Studying a literature Masters at the University of York
Posted by Ellie I’m Ellie and I’m studying full time for an MA in Victorian Literature and Culture at the University of York. Choosing a course for…
Hear from our graduates
Our students go on to many different industries, including teaching, journalism, librarianship, law and drama.
- Hear stories from York alumni (alumnivoices.co.uk)
- Discover the career choices of alumni from our Department - browse graduate profiles
After graduating with a 2:1 earlier this year, I am the BBC's only journalism trainee having won the Student Journalist of the Year award whilst writing for and editing The Tab. I have already written one news bulletin, and hope to be able to cover interesting news stories during the rest of my time here.
Hamzah Abbas, Graduate Trainee at the BBC.
I spend my days working closely with books and manuscripts that I studied at York. It’s very surreal and the best use of my English degree I could’ve imagined!
Poppy Garrett, Assistant Curator at Dove Cottage and the Wordsworth Museum.
I've worked in publishing since I graduated, and I currently have the privilege of working with some of the finest writers and edgiest new literary voices in South Asia.
Manasi Subramaniam, Publishing at Penguin Random House India.
I have interviewed Russian president Vladimir Putin at midnight in the Kremlin, billionaire oligarchs in their armoured dachas and opposition activists in deepest Siberia.
Henry Foy, Moscow Bureau Chief at the Financial Times.
I work in independent film, selecting, pitching and helping to produce films, ideally ones with creative and commercial value. I travel to international film festivals, and have worked on titles by filmmakers including Kevin Macdonald, Asif Kapadia and Tom Hooper.
Jordan Allwood, International Film Sales at an independent film company.
My work has taken me to a diverse range of countries, including South Sudan, Syria and Afghanistan. Currently based in Lebanon, I am working on the overlapping responses to the refugee crisis, COVID-19 and the Beirut explosion.
Justin W Cousins. Area Manager for Bekaa and South of Lebanon, Danish Refugee Council.
I produce foreign news TV stories which are broadcast around the world in different languages. In particular, I’ve worked on the BBC’s 100 Women project, highlighting the work of influential women.
Stephanie Gabbatt, Broadcast Journalist at the BBC World Service.
I work at a civilian drone software company that creates 3D models, used for anything from surveying bridges to mapping the Amazon rainforest. I’ve published eBooks on how drones can be used for good, as well as hundreds of blog articles. Last year, I helped moderate our 24-hour live conference as part of an international Covid-safe event.
Eloise McMinn Mitchell, Content Marketing Specialist at Pix4D.
Notable alumni
Graham Swift
The author of ten novels. His second novel, Shuttlecock (1981), won the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize, as did his third novel, Waterland (1983), which also won the Guardian Fiction Prize. Swift won the Booker Prize for Fiction and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for his sixth novel, Last Orders (1996), which has also been very adapted into a very successful film starring Michael Caine and Bob Hoskins.
Helen Dunmore
Poet and novelist. Her third novel, A Spell of Winter won the Orange Prize for Fiction in 1996, and her seventh novel, The Siege was shortlisted for the Orange Prize and the Whitbread Novel Award. Dunmore was the winner of the 2009 National Poetry Competition.
Sarah Gavron
British film director. Graduated from the University of York with a BA in English in 1992. Nominated for the BAFTA Award and BIFA Award for best director in 2007 for the film version of Monica Ali’s acclaimed novel Brick Lane. The film was warmly reviewed, with the Evening Standard describing Sarah as 'a talent to watch', and Nick Funnell of Time Out calling the film 'an impressive debut'.
Lizzy Dijeh
Read English and Related Literature at York. Her play, 'High Life' debuted at the Hampstead Theatre, in the Michael Frayn Space in October 2009 and was also shortlisted for the prestigious Alfred Fagon Award in 2007. She performed as a guest speaker at the Southbank Centre in late 2009 in a special event to celebrate 25 years of the magazine.
Linda Grant
Read English at York 1972-75. Fiction and non-fiction author, and writer for The Guardian. Her second novel, When I Lived in Modern Times, won the Orange Prize for fiction in 2000, and her non-fiction work The People on the Street: A Writer's View of Israel (2006) won the Lettre Ulysses Prize for Literary Reportage. In 2007, Linda made a return trip to York as part of a Guardian series on University life.
Sally Wainwright
Television writer, producer, and director. Her highly acclaimed work includes Last Tango in Halifax and Happy Valley, both of which won BAFTA Awards. Her series Gentleman Jack, which was awarded the Royal Television Society Award for Best Drama, is based on the diaries of nineteenth-century Yorkshire landowner and industrialist Anne Lister, who married Ann Walker in Holy Trinity Church, York in 1834. Sally was awarded an honourary degree by the Department of Theatre, Film, Television, and Interactive Media in 2017.
Valerie Jack
Poet, playwright and teacher. First poetry collection, Educational, published by tall-lighthouse in 2009. Staged play Fireworks at the Etcetera Theatre in Camden in November 2010.