Helena Feder

Helena Feder is a Professor of Environmental Humanities and Associate Chair in the Department of English at East Carolina University. She holds affiliations with the Tar River Poetry journal as editor and is a member of key literary organizations like ASLE and MLA. Her research focuses on intersections of environmental thought, gender studies, and American literature, with a particular emphasis on feminist life writing, ecofeminism, and science fiction.

Educated at the University of Massachusetts (B.A., summa cum laude), Boston College (M.A.), and UC Davis (Ph.D.), she teaches courses spanning critical theory, American literature, environmental studies, and transformative texts. Her editorial work includes special issues of Women’s Studies, Western American Literature, and Configurations.

Her recent publications emphasize close reading practices in the Anthropocene, ecocritical theory, and interdisciplinary dialogues between literature and science. Articles span topics from Melville’s Bartleby to climate fiction’s collapse narratives, demonstrating a sustained engagement with ecological crises and cultural responses.

As an educator, she prioritizes independent student research in areas like ecofeminism and transatlantic literature. Her work bridges academic scholarship with public humanities initiatives, advocating for literature’s role in addressing contemporary environmental and social challenges.