Shara McCallum

Shara McCallum is the Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of English at Penn State University and a faculty member in the Pacific Low-Residency MFA Program. She holds a Ph.D. in English Literature from Binghamton University and an MFA from the University of Maryland. Her work explores themes of identity, race, gender, and Jamaican history through poetry and ekphrasis—a literary technique responding to visual art.

Education:

• Ph.D. in English Literature, Binghamton University
• MFA in Creative Writing, University of Maryland

Research Interests: McCallum’s poetry delves into her mixed-race Jamaican heritage and diasporic experiences. Her recent project, supported by a Guggenheim Fellowship, focuses on Jamaican visual art and ekphrastic writing. She has also examined historical figures like Robert Burns and their cultural intersections with Jamaica.

Awards:

• 2023 Guggenheim Fellowship
• 2022 Hurston/Wright Legacy Award
• UNT Rilke Prize Finalist (2022)

Advising & Grants: While no specific grants are listed, the Guggenheim Fellowship funds her current project. Her teaching roles include contributions to the Pacific Low-Residency MFA Program.

Labs/Teams: None explicitly mentioned in the text.