Chanelle Benz

Chanelle Benz is an Associate Professor in the Department of English at Syracuse University's College of Arts and Sciences. Her pedagogical focus centers on fostering collaborative writing cohorts and challenging master narratives through texts exploring gender, race, and place. She holds an M.F.A. in Fiction Writing from Syracuse University (2012) and a B.F.A. in Acting from Boston University (2005).

• M.F.A., Fiction Writing, Syracuse University (2012)
• B.F.A., Acting, Boston University (2005)
• Transferred, Temple University (1999)

Benz's research and creative work spans fiction, essays, and literary criticism. Her 2023 essay in Granta examines concepts of homeland and identity through Antigua's lens, while 2021-2022 book reviews analyze racial and cultural narratives in American literature. Her debut collection (2018) and novel (2019) interrogate violence, memory, and Southern identity through experimental storytelling.

Recent projects include grants from the New York State Council on the Arts (2023) and Syracuse University's FCAR program (2024). Benz actively presents her creative work in national venues, including the Raymond Carver Reading Series and Tin House Winter Workshops.

• Arts Grant, New York State Council on the Arts (2023)
• Literati Book Club April pick by Jesmyn Ward (2022)
• Hemingway Award for Debut Novel (Longlist), PEN (2020)
• Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction (finalist) (2020)