Annette Debo

Dr. Annette Debo is a Professor in the Department of English at Western Carolina University (WCU), part of the College of Arts and Sciences. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland-College Park and dual M.A. and B.S. degrees from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Her work focuses on the intersection of literature and history, particularly in African American and 20th/21st-century literature, with expertise in modernism and literary criticism.

Education:

• PhD, University of Maryland-College Park
• MA, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• BS, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Her research explores how historical narratives shape contemporary African American poetry and redefines modernist studies through her analyses of H.D., an influential poet and prose writer. She has published extensively in journals such as Modernism/modernity, African American Review, and College Literature, and authored two monographs: The Necessary Past: Revising History in Contemporary African American Poetry (2024) and The American H.D. (2012). She co-edited the MLA volume Approaches to Teaching H.D.'s Poetry and Prose (2011) and edited H.D.'s Within the Walls and What Do I Love? (2014), contributing a biographical and historical introduction.

Awards & Fellowships:

• Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching (WCU)
• H.D. Fellowship at Yale University's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library

In her career, Dr. Debo has served as past co-chair of the H.D. International Society and actively engages in academic editorial work. While no advisees or grants are explicitly listed, her teaching excellence is recognized through awards, and her research has been supported by prestigious fellowships. She is affiliated with WCU's English department and uses she/her/hers pronouns.