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Michael Lucey is the Sidney and Margaret Ancker Chair and Distinguished Professor of French and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Berkeley. His work bridges French literature from the 19th to 21st centuries with social theory, sexuality studies, and linguistic anthropology. He has authored the critically acclaimed What Proust Heard: Novels and the Ethnography of Talk (2022) and Thinking about Sexuality with Novels (forthcoming). As founding director of the Center for the Study of Sexual Culture , he has shaped interdisciplinary research in queer theory and gender studies. Current research focuses on novels as ethnographic tools Specializes in Proust, Balzac, Woolf, and contemporary French fiction Translation work includes Didier Eribon and Édouard Louis His recent articles explore phonetics in narrative, readability frameworks, and sociological implications of literary form. He actively engages with comparative methodologies and critical theory, while his teaching spans British and American literature’s intersections with French modernism. Lucey’s academic leadership includes directing Berkeley’s Center for the Study of Sexual Culture, which supports global discourse through fellowships and conferences. His office hours are held in Dwinelle Hall and via Zoom. Contact: mlucey@berkeley.edu

• French Literature
• Comparative Literature
• Sexuality Studies
• +7 more

Robert Kaufman is a Professor of Comparative Literature at the University of California, Berkeley. He holds a B.A. (1979), J.D. (1982), and Ph.D. (1995) from UC Berkeley. Prior to academia, he practiced labor and employment law. His career includes positions at McGill University, Stanford University (where he was an Assistant Professor of English and affiliated with German Studies and Modern Thought & Literature), and visiting roles at the University of Chicago and UC Berkeley. He has held fellowships including Stanford Humanities Center, Hellman Family, and Institute of International Studies. He co-chairs Berkeley's Program in Critical Theory. His research focuses on 20th-21st century American poetry, Latin American poetry, Romantic-era poetics, Frankfurt School Critical Theory, and aesthetic philosophy. Key projects include Negative Romanticism: Adornian Aesthetics in Keats, Shelley, and Modern Poetry , and studies on César Vallejo, Paul Celan, and Robert Duncan. His work bridges Marxist theory, lyric form, and sociopolitical critique. Kaufman's essays analyze Adorno's influence on modern poetry, the ethics of lyric form, and intersections between poetry and democracy. His recent work engages postmodernism's aftermath and contemporary political crises. He frequently collaborates on translation projects and public humanities initiatives, including events on Paul Celan's centenary.

• 20th-21st Century American Poetry
• Modern Latin American Poetry
• Frankfurt School Critical Theory
• +4 more

Professor Peter John Edgley Robinson is a distinguished academic and poet at the University of Reading, where he holds the position of Professor in the Department of English Literature, part of the School of Humanities. He is renowned for founding the English Literature with Creative Writing joint degree program and the MA in Creative Writing. His research focuses on modern and contemporary poetry, publishing, and translation, with a particular interest in 20th-century literary movements and interdisciplinary studies. Responsibilities include leading the Poetry & Poetics strand of the Modern Studies Centre and supervising doctoral research in creative writing and academic topics such as post-war Japanese poetry, Muriel Rukeyser’s work, and travel writing. He has held roles as poetry editor for Two Rivers Press and contributed to academic publications like The Fortnightly Review . His career includes teaching at Tohoku University in Japan and organizing events like the Reading Poetry Festival. Key awards include the Cheltenham Prize (1988), the John Florio Prize (2008), and Poetry Book Society recommendations. His publications span poetry collections, critical essays, translations, and novels, reflecting his expertise in literary analysis and creative expression. Notable works include The Sound Sense of Poetry (2018), Ravishing Europa (2019), and Retrieved Attachments (2023). Education: BA from University of York (1974), PhD from University of Cambridge (1981). Translations: Includes works by Vittorio Sereni, Pietro De Marchi, and Giorgio Bassani. Editorial Roles: Numbers magazine, Reading Poetry Festival , and The Oxford Handbook of Contemporary British and Irish Poetry . His research explores intersections between poetry, economics, and cultural identity, with a focus on publishing policies and lyrical forms. He remains active in mentoring emerging writers and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration.

• Creative Writing
• Poetry
• Literary Criticism
• +3 more

Claire Battershill is an Assistant Professor jointly appointed in the Faculty of Information and the Department of English at the University of Toronto. She holds a PhD from the University of Toronto and a BA (Hons) from the University of Oxford. Her research focuses on the history and future of the book, with a particular emphasis on feminist experimental publishing, literary aesthetics, and 20th/21st-century publishing practices. She is Co-Director of the Modernist Archives Publishing Project (MAPP), a critical digital archive of early 20th-century publishers’ records, and Co-Creator of the SSHRC-funded 'Make Believe' research-creation project. Her publications include Women and Letterpress Printing: Gendered Impressions (2022) and Using Digital Humanities in the Classroom (2022). Dr. Battershill has held prestigious roles such as Wendy M. Cecil Professor in VicOne at Victoria College and Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. She has secured grants including the SSHRC Impact Award (2017) and funding from the Canada Council for the Arts. Her teaching spans courses like INF2228H (The Future of Things: Digitization and Remediation) and BKS1002H (Book History in Practice), blending theory with hands-on engagement in digital humanities and book studies. Her research interests span digital humanities pedagogy, collaborative publishing projects, and the intersection of feminist theory with material book culture. She actively contributes to interdisciplinary initiatives like the Critical Digital Humanities Initiative (CDHI) at the University of Toronto.

• Book and Publishing History
• Creative Writing
• 20th-Century Literature
• +4 more

Marc Redfield holds the Florence Pirce Grant University Professorship in English and Comparative Literature at Brown University, with additional appointments in German Studies. He previously taught at the Université de Genève and Claremont Graduate University. His work bridges literature and philosophy across British, American, French, and German traditions, with a focus on Romanticism and interdisciplinary studies. Education: Studied at Yale and Cornell universities. Research interests include literary theory, aesthetics, and the intersections of literature with philosophy. Major awards include the MLA First Book Prize for Phantom Formations . Editorial contributions include special issues of Diacritics , Romantic Praxis , and The Wordsworth Circle . His edited volumes include Legacies of Paul de Man and co-edited collections on cultural studies and critical theory.

• aesthetics
• comparative literature
• literary theory
• +6 more

Alexander Key is an Associate Professor of Comparative Literature at Stanford University, specializing in Classical Arabic literature and the intellectual history of Arabic and Persian-speaking worlds from the 7th century onwards. His scholarship focuses on the philosophy of language, literary theory, and cross-cultural translation. Ph.D. in Arabic and Islamic Studies from Harvard University (2012) Current research: Arabo-Persian linguistic intersections, poetics in translation, and pre-modern theories of syntax and affect His articles span diverse eras and topics, including: Medieval Arabic language philosophy (5th–11th century) Modern Arabic political poetry analysis (20th–21st century) Comparative methodologies bridging Islamic and Western traditions A key editorial role includes: Board Member of Stanford University Press Advisory roles at Habib University and Stanford’s Markaz Resource Center His work bridges academic publication with public discourse through: Contributions to Arcade Colloquy Interviews on poetics, religion, and contemporary politics Podcasts and literary salon discussions

• Classical Arabic literature
• Arabic philosophy of language
• Persian literature
• +5 more

Dr. Kaye Mitchell is a Senior Lecturer in Contemporary Literature within the Department of English and American Studies at the University of Manchester. She serves as Co-Director of the Centre for New Writing and is affiliated with the Centre for the Study of Sexuality and Culture. Her academic career spans over fifteen years at Manchester, following previous teaching at the University of Westminster. Her educational background includes a BA in English Literature from Queen Mary University of London, an MA in Philosophy from Birkbeck, and a PhD from Birkbeck completed in 2004. She has held visiting positions including a Visiting Scholar at NYU in 2011 and an 18-month Humboldt Experienced Research Fellowship in Berlin from 2014-2015. Dr. Mitchell's research focuses on contemporary literature with particular emphasis on gender and sexuality studies, literary theory, and experimental writing by women. Her work explores the relationships between form, meaning, and gender/sexual identity and representation. She has published extensively on topics including literary intention, women's experimental writing, and the politics and poetics of shame in contemporary literature. She is currently working on a monograph titled Gendered Experiments which analyzes gender ramifications of literary experiment through strategies of appropriation, constraint, and excess. Her research output shows a consistent trajectory toward increasingly specialized work on women's writing, gender, and experimental literary forms. The publications demonstrate interdisciplinary connections between literary studies, gender theory, and affect studies, with particular attention to how negative affects like shame operate within contemporary literary texts. Humboldt Experienced Research Fellowship (2014-2015) Co-Editor of Contemporary Women's Writing (OUP journal) Member of editorial boards for Open Gender Journal and C21 Dr. Mitchell actively supervises PhD students working on diverse topics spanning gender studies, contemporary literature, and experimental writing. Her external engagement includes talks at major festivals and events including Ladyfest Manchester, Queer Up North, Homotopia, and the Manchester Literature Festival. She also participates in the annual Sexuality Summer School through her affiliation with the Centre for the Study of Sexuality and Culture.

• Contemporary Literature
• Gender Studies
• Sexuality Studies
• +5 more

Hanna Meretoja is a Professor of Comparative Literature and Department Chair at the University of Turku since 2016. She is the Founding Director of SELMA: Centre for the Study of Storytelling, Experientiality and Memory (2015–present) and has held visiting positions at the University of Oxford and The American University of Paris. Education: PhD in Comparative Literature, University of Turku, 2010 MA in Comparative Literature, University of Turku, 2001 Research Interests: Meretoja’s scholarship explores narrative ethics, the intersections of literature-philosophy-history, and philosophical hermeneutics. She is a key figure in cultural memory studies, trauma studies, life-writing, and medical humanities, with a focus on 20th/21st-century narrative fiction across French, German, and English literatures. Her work also examines the socio-critical dimensions of literature and the interplay of ethics and aesthetics. Scientific Awards and Honours: Honorary Research Fellow, Royal Holloway (2019–2022) Visiting Fellowships at University of Oxford (2019–2020) Early Career Award for interdisciplinary narrative studies (2018) Founding Narrare Centre at University of Tampere (2014) Humanist Doctor of the Year, University of Turku (2011) Leadership and Research Funding: She served as Vice Dean of the Faculty of Humanities (2017–2019) and Deputy Head of the School of History, Culture and Arts Studies (2015–2016) at the University of Turku. Meretoja has secured €734,630 in research funding, including grants from the Academy of Finland and the European Commission’s European Remembrance Programme. She has supervised 22 PhD students, 75 MA students, and 11 postdocs and delivered 38 keynote/invited lectures globally.

• Narrative studies
• Narrative ethics
• Interrelations between literature, philosophy and history
• +14 more

Muhammad Farooq is an Assistant Professor of English at Seton Hall University's Department of English. He specializes in 20th- and 21st-century British, postcolonial, and global Anglophone literature, with research focusing on postcolonial studies, necropolitics, memory, and spatial literary studies. His current book project, The Production of Necrospace: Literary Imaginary and Ungrievable Lives in the Af-Pak Frontier , examines necrogeographies through literary texts from the British colonial era to contemporary Af-Pak works. Education: PhD in English, Kent State University (2023) His research explores intersections between literature and socio-political structures, particularly in contested regions like the Afghanistan-Pakistan frontier. Farooq’s work often addresses how literature conceptualizes spaces of death (necrospace) and the politics of grievability. His recent publications analyze Afghan American fiction’s soundscapes, Pashto poetry’s engagement with drone warfare, and modernist narratives like Virginia Woolf’s works. He has received multiple awards including the 2024 University Research Council Grant and the 2023 Ohio International Consortium Award. Farooq teaches courses such as Postcolonial Theory and Literature and Death, Memory, and Resilience , emphasizing critical thinking across cultural divides. Grants: University Research Council Grant (2024), Newberry Renaissance Consortium Grant (2020) No specific labs or research teams are mentioned, but his interdisciplinary approach bridges literary analysis with geopolitical and cultural studies.

• Postcolonial Studies
• Necropolitics
• Memory Studies
• +3 more

José A. de la Garza Valenzuela is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Latina/Latino Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His research focuses on queer migrant narratives, critical legal studies, and Latinx literature. He holds a PhD in English from Miami University and previously served as a Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research Associate at UIUC and Assistant Professor at Florida Atlantic University. Education: PhD in English, Miami University (with concentration in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies) MA in English, Sam Houston State University BBA in International Business and Economics, Sam Houston State University His interdisciplinary work bridges literary analysis with legal frameworks, examining how queer Chicano writers challenge state narratives of citizenship and migration. Key projects include his forthcoming monograph *Queer in a Legal Sense: Brown Citizenship and Other Lawful Fictions* and peer-reviewed articles in Latino Studies , MLA , and American Literary History . Awards & Affiliations: American Council of Learned Societies Fellow (2023) Affiliate: Unit for Criticism and Interpretive Theory, Department of Gender & Women Studies, and Department of English His teaching spans courses on Latinx literature, queer studies, and U.S. social movements. His personal background as a first-generation college graduate and former undocumented migrant deeply informs his scholarship and pedagogy.

• Latinx Literary Studies
• Chicanx Studies
• Queer Chicano Literature
• +4 more

Professor Helen Finch (University of Leeds) is a leading scholar in German Literature , with a focus on Holocaust Studies , Queer Memory , and German-Jewish Cultural Production . Affiliated with the School of Languages, Cultures and Societies and the Centre for Jewish Studies , she co-leads the LCS Queer Area Studies Network and contributes to equality initiatives through the LGBT+ staff network . Research: Holocaust representation in German works, queer identity in postwar literature, transnational memory studies, curriculum design in German studies Awards: Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (2014) Academic Output : Her 15 most recent publications span Holocaust poetics , queer life writing , translation ethics , and Sebaldian intertextuality , with a particular focus on intersections between trauma , identity , and intergenerational testimony . Supervision : Currently guides PhD research on topics including transnational transphobia , queer art practices , and LGBTQ+ cross-cultural representation . Her students explore areas from German exile photography to postcolonial queer narratives .

• German Literature
• Holocaust Studies
• Queer Studies
• +7 more

Amy Moorman Robbins is an Associate Professor in the Department of English at Hunter College's School of Arts and Sciences. Her work focuses on modern and contemporary American poetry, particularly avant-garde and experimental poetics, with strong ties to feminist literature and critical theory. Education: PhD, University of California, Riverside (2004) Her research explores intersections between hybrid poetry and mass culture, challenging traditional high/low cultural divides. She analyzes feminist and postmodern frameworks in the works of Gertrude Stein, Laura Mullen, Alice Notley, Harryette Mullen, and Claudia Rankine, emphasizing innovative poetic forms. Recent publications examine experimental poetics across the 20th and 21st centuries, covering topics like Gertrude Stein's genre laws, Harryette Mullen's linguistic race politics, and postmodern witness poetics in Alice Notley's work. These studies highlight affective identification, critical production, and hybrid forms.

• Modern and Contemporary American Poetry
• Avant-garde and Experimental Poetics
• Feminist Literature
• +3 more

Roanne Kantor is an Assistant Professor of English at Stanford University with a courtesy appointment in Comparative Literature. Her work bridges global literary traditions and interdisciplinary research in the humanities. Ph.D. and M.A. in Comparative Literature from the University of Texas at Austin B.A. in Comparative Literature from the University of California at Los Angeles Her research focuses on Global Anglophone literature and its intersections with postcolonial studies, medical humanities, and literature's interface with medicine, law, and social sciences. She explores interdisciplinary methodologies and colonial censorship in works by authors like E.M. Forster and George Orwell. Dr. Kantor’s publications include studies of South Asian and Latin American literatures, highlighting the rise of Global English. Her translation work has earned recognition through the Susan Sontag Prize. Susan Sontag Prize for Translation Kantor has taught at Harvard, Boston University, Brandeis, and the University of Texas at Austin. She contributes to the Modern Thought & Literature (MTL) research unit and engages in future work on cross-disciplinary collaborations in the humanities.

• Global Anglophone literature
• Comparative Literature
• Postcolonial studies
• +5 more

Luca Somigli is a Professor at the University of Toronto, holding the Emilio Goggio Chair in Italian Studies. His research focuses on European and Italian modernism, avant-garde movements, futurism, detective fiction, genre literature, and comics. Born in Florence, he earned a Laurea from the Università degli Studi di Firenze and a PhD in Comparative Literature from SUNY Stony Brook. Educational Background: PhD, State University of New York at Stony Brook Laurea, Università degli Studi di Firenze Luca's scholarship explores tensions between modernism and postmodernism, colonial narratives in Italian crime fiction, and the intersection of visual narratives with cultural themes. His recent publications include co-edited volumes on futurism and modernism, alongside articles analyzing authors like Marinetti, Pirandello, and Camilleri. Key research trends include: Colonialism in Italian historical fiction Symbolist and avant-garde artistic movements Visual storytelling in comics and film The legacy of fascist ideology in literature Scientific awards highlight his contributions: the 2019 Visiting Scholar at Université de Haute-Alsace and the 2003 American Association for Italian Studies Book Award. Luca has co-authored works with scholars like Federico Luisetti and Eleonora Conti, and his conference presentations address neomodernist novels and modernist historiography. He serves as Chair of the Department of Italian Studies (2021-present) and previously as Associate Chair – Graduate (2020-2021).

• European Modernism
• Italian Modernism
• Futurism
• +5 more

Maxime Decout is a Professor in 20th and 21st century French literature at Aix-Marseille University since 2019. Previously, he served as a Senior Lecturer (tenured) at Lille University (2012–2019) and held teaching roles in Lyon (2009–2012; 2005–2009). His research focuses on French literature, Jewish studies, Holocaust studies, and textual analysis, with a particular emphasis on authors like Albert Cohen and Georges Perec. He has been elected as a junior member of the Institut Universitaire de France (IUF) in 2018. Decout is a co-founder of scholarly associations including InterCriPol (2017) and LIEJ (Literature and Jewishness) (2019), and has organized international symposia and seminars on French Jewish writers. His academic contributions include over 60 peer-reviewed articles, 25 chapters in edited volumes, and 13 edited books. Notable Publications : Albert Cohen: les fictions de la judéité (2011) Écrire la judéité. Enquête sur un malaise dans la littérature française (2015) En toute mauvaise foi. Sur un paradoxe littéraire (2015) Qui a peur de l’imitation? (2017) Pouvoirs de l’imposture (2018) Album Romain Gary (2019) Éloge du mauvais lecteur (2021) Decout has presented 50 papers at symposia (23 invited), delivered 60 invited lectures (22 abroad), and contributed to radio programs and editorial projects, including editing Georges Perec’s works for Gallimard’s Bibliothèque de la Pléiade (2017). His research explores themes of lies, bad faith, imitation, and imposture in literature.

• French Literature
• Holocaust Studies
• Jewish Studies
• +3 more