Deanna Koretsky

Deanna Koretsky is an Associate Professor at Spelman College, specializing in English, Feminist Studies, and Media Critique. Her research bridges Critical Race Studies, Queer Theory, and 18th-19th Century British Literature, with a focus on Gothic Horror and Neurodiversity Studies.

• Education: Ph.D. in English & Feminist Studies (Duke University), M.A. in English (Bucknell), B.A. in English & Russian (Bucknell)

Her work interrogates race, gender, and sexuality in horror media, including The Vampire Diaries franchise and Mary Shelley’s Mathilda. Recent projects analyze intersections of Afropessimism and queer negativity in Romanticism. She is a founding member of the Bigger 6 Collective, promoting collaborative scholarship.

Key themes across her 15 most recent publications include:

• Racialized violence in Gothic narratives
• Queer and feminist reinterpretations of Romantic suicide
• Postcolonial critiques of archives and curricula
• Vampire media as a lens for systemic racism

Scientific Awards

• 2023: Candace Benefiel Commitment to Vampire Scholarship Award
• 2022: Vampire Studies Stake & Cross Award
• 2021-22: Carnegie Corporation & Rockefeller Foundation Distinguished Research Scholar
• 2021: Spelman Presidential Award in Scholarship
• 2021: NEH Open Book Award
• 2019: UNCF-Mellon Faculty Development Grant
• 2018-19: NEH Research Grant

Dr. Koretsky also contributes to public scholarship through the Dear Vampire Diaries podcast and has received multiple teaching and research accolades from Duke University and Bucknell University.