Distinguished Writers in Residence

Every other year, a distinguished writer in residence joins the Department of English for a semester. The writer typically teaches two courses, usually in seminar format. Faculty in the department work to ensure that seats are made available to undeclared first-year students along with declared English majors. The writer in residence maintains office hours and participates fully in university life. In addition to the contributions the writer makes in the classroom, he or she is also invited to give one or more public lectures to the larger campus community.

Beanland Headshot

Rachel Beanland
Distinguished Writer in Residence, 2023

Rachel Beanland is the author of The House Is on Fire, which was named an Indie Next pick by the American Booksellers Association, a ‘GMA Buzz Pick’ by Good Morning America, and...(read more)

Jennifer Moxley

Jennifer Moxley
Distinguished Writer in Residence, 2018

Poet Jennifer Moxley is the author of seven books of poetry, a book of essays, a memoir, and three translations from the French....(read more)

Christine Schutt

Christine Schutt
Distinguished Writer in Residence, 2015

Christine Schutt is one of America’s preeminent literary novelists, a finalist for both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize in fiction...(read more)

Honor Moore

Honor Moore
Distinguished Writer in Residence, 2011

Honor Moore writes in almost every genre and has won awards in most. The Bishop's Daughter, Moore's 2008 memoir, was recently released in paperback (May 2009) along with... (read more)

Whitehead

Colson Whitehead
Distinguished Writer in Residence, 2009

Colson Whitehead was born in 1969, and was raised in Manhattan. After graduating from Harvard College, he started working at the Village Voice, where he wrote reviews of television... (read more)

Salamun

Tomaz Salamun
Distinguished Writer in Residence, 2007

Slovenian poet Tomaž Šalamun is one of Europe’s most prominent poets and a leader of the Eastern European avant-garde. Early in his career he edited the literary magazine Perspektive and... (read more)

Humphreys

Josephine Humphreys
Distinguished Writer in Residence, 2005

Josephine Humphreys is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She is the author of Dreams of Sleep, which won the 1985 Hemingway Foundation Award for a first work of fiction... (read more)

Ackerman

Diane Ackerman
Distinguished Writer in Residence, 2001

Poet, essayist, and naturalist, Diane Ackerman is the author of two dozen highly acclaimed works of nonfiction and poetry, including A Natural History of the Senses -- a book beloved by... (read more)

Ball

Angela Ball
Distinguished Writer in Residence, 1999

Angela Ball is professor of English in the Center for Writers at the University of Southern Mississippi and poetry editor for Mississippi Review... (read more)