John Melillo

John Melillo is an Associate Professor with Tenure and Program Director in the Literature program within the Department of Modern Languages at the University of Arizona. His research and teaching focus on modern and contemporary literature, sound studies, poetics, music, and eco-poetics.

His research interests include:

• American and British modernist and contemporary poetry
• Sound studies and poetics
• Music and literature
• Experimental media
• War culture
• Eco-poetics

His work explores the intersections of noise, language, and cultural expression, with a particular emphasis on experimental forms across the 20th and 21st centuries. He is the author of The Poetics of Noise from Dada to Punk (2020) and is currently developing a second book on mid-twentieth-century sound poetry. Alongside Dr. Johanna Skibsrud, he is co-leading The Oyster Project, an interdisciplinary study in eco-poesis. His artistic practice as Algae & Tentacles further extends his investigation into noise and sound.

His publications reflect a sustained engagement with experimental literary forms, sonic aesthetics, and cultural theory. Key thematic trends include the role of noise in poetic innovation, the politics of sound, representations of war, and ecological imaginaries in literature.

Honors and fellowships include:

• ACLS New Faculty Fellow (University of Arizona, 2011–2013)

John Melillo advises students in literature and sound studies and leads innovative research at the intersection of poetry, sound, and environmental thought. He is actively involved in interdisciplinary collaborations and creative projects that bridge academic scholarship and artistic practice. His work is supported by research fellowships and institutional affiliations that enable both scholarly and performative outputs.

He is affiliated with the Literature Faculty and the SCCT Faculty at the University of Arizona and performs experimental music under the name Algae & Tentacles.