Victoria Papa

Dr. Victoria Papa is an Associate Professor of English and Visual Culture at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA). Her research examines intersections of creative expression and structural trauma in 20th- and 21st-century literature and visual culture. She holds a Ph.D. from Northeastern University, an M.A. from the University of Albany (SUNY), and a B.A. from Saint Anselm College.

Her current book project, *Survival Aesthetics: Creative Expression & the Critique of Trauma*, challenges traditional trauma frameworks by exploring how art disrupts oppressive systems. Supported by grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Beinecke Library, and others, her work has appeared in *Modernist Cultures*, *Women & Performance*, and *ASAP/J*. She co-created the *CARE SYLLABUS*, a public humanities project with MASS MoCA focusing on care and kinship.

Teaching emphasizes immersive pedagogy, featuring field trips, collaborative projects, and diverse global authors. Her research interests span queer theory, modernist studies, and cultural critique. Recent articles analyze Harlem Renaissance queer aesthetics, grief performance in Anne Carson’s work, and H.D.’s astrological collaborations with Silvia Dobson.

Awards include the NEH Fellowship (2023), Beinecke Fellowship (2022), and Brandeis University’s Women’s Studies Research Center Fellowship (2020–2022). She is on sabbatical for the 2023–2024 academic year.