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Expertise: American literature, with specialties in literature of the Beat Movement, contemporary American literature, African American literature, and poetry
Educational Background
Scholarly Interests
modern and contemporary African American women writers; Beat Movement authors Jack Kerouac and Herbert Huncke; poetry writing
Bio Sketch
My book publications include: Ann Petry (Twayne, 1996), Wild Blessings: The Poetry of Lucille Clifton (LSU Press, 2004), Ann Petry’s Short Fiction: Critical Essays (co-edited with Hazel Arnett Ervin, Praeger, 2004). I have also published two poetry collections, Baptism in the Merrimack (Loom Press, 1999), and The Dreams of Mary Rowlandson (Loom Press, 2006). I’m currently writing a biography of the Beat Movement icon Herbert Huncke and co-editing a collection of essays on Kerouac’s On the Road.
As director of the Kerouac Center for American Studies, I administer the American Studies Program and direct the Kerouac Conference on Beat Literature (held biennially; the next one will be in Oct. ’07). The Center also sponsors the New England Poetry Conference (held each spring) as well as guest lectures by scholars whose research reflects the interdisciplinary perspective of American Studies. Long-range plans include developing a master’s program in American Studies at UML and establishing ties with American Studies programs at universities in other countries.