I work with a wide variety of PhD students in English, Media Studies, STS, and the Environmental Humanities. Here are some helpful details for how our PhD program works:
Emailing me is not a prerequisite for applying to UCSB English
If you’re admitted, you choose a committee after you arrive and have a chance to meet different faculty
Every application to the PhD program in English at UCSB is read by at least two faculty reviewers, before the graduate committee makes its final selections for a strong and balanced incoming class. Some years I serve as a reader, other years not. In short: I do not select my own students
UCSB English hosts an admissions day sometime in winter/spring for admitted students
Once at UCSB, students typically take a range of classes for their first two years, and select a dissertation committee sometime during either their 2nd or 3rd year
Best wishes for your application! :)