Koritha Mitchell

Koritha Mitchell is a Professor of English at Boston University, specializing in African American literature, violence in U.S. history, and Black drama/performance. Her research examines how texts and performances help marginalized communities survive and thrive. She holds a PhD in English from the University of Maryland (2005), and earlier degrees from the same university and Ohio Wesleyan University. Mitchell is the author of award-winning monographs Living with Lynching (2011) and From Slave Cabins to the White House (2020), both recognized as landmark works in African American studies. She has edited scholarly editions of Frances E.W. Harper’s Iola Leroy and Harriet Jacobs’s Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.

Her research interests span racial violence, citizenship, and cultural resilience. Recent work includes analyses of intersections between historical and contemporary racial/gender violence. Mitchell actively engages public scholarship through workshops, media appearances, and blog posts, emphasizing critical thinking and actionable insights.

• Awards: Book awards from American Theatre and Drama Society, Society for Study of American Women Writers, and CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title (2021)
• Publications: Articles in American Quarterly and Callaloo; multiple book editions