Stephen Cope

Stephen Cope is an Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, where he has been a faculty member since 2011. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, San Diego (2005), an M.A. from the University of California, and a B.A. from the University of California, Santa Cruz with Highest Honors. He also teaches at Ithaca College, University at Buffalo, and Bard College, reflecting a broad engagement with higher education in the humanities.

His research centers on modernist and avant-garde literature, with a deep focus on James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, Gertrude Stein, and especially George Oppen. His scholarship explores the intersections of poetry, political theory, epistemology, and ethics. He has edited George Oppen: Selected Prose, Daybooks, and Papers (2008) and authored critical essays that examine the philosophical and political dimensions of Objectivist poetics.

His recent and ongoing scholarly work demonstrates a strong trajectory in literary criticism and creative writing. His publications reveal a sustained engagement with 20th-century experimental literature, particularly in how language, subjectivity, and political consciousness intersect in modernist writing. His critical analyses often delve into the ethical responsibilities of the poet and the limits of representation.

Among his notable scholarly awards or honors, none are explicitly mentioned in the text. However, his editorial and critical contributions are significant within the field of modernist studies.

Stephen Cope advises on literary scholarship and creative writing, and while specific students are not listed, his role as a mentor is evident through his teaching and ongoing projects. He is currently working on a poetry manuscript titled Bellerophonic Letters and a critical book, Negative Culpability, which investigates the ethics of ineffability in 20th-century writing. These projects indicate an active research agenda that bridges creative and scholarly work.

He is affiliated with professional organizations such as the Modern Language Association, the Modernist Studies Association, and the American Comparative Literature Association, which underscores his active participation in academic discourse. His work appears in journals like Jacket, Denver Quarterly, and Postmodern Culture, highlighting his presence in contemporary literary scholarship.