Danielle K. Nelson

Danielle K. Nelson is an Assistant Professor of Literature and Cultural Studies in the Division of Liberal Arts at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA). Her teaching and research focus on cultural narratives surrounding gender, disability, mental health, and the self in contemporary literature, film, and popular culture.

Education:

• Ph.D., Literary Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• B.A., Women’s Studies & Spanish, Duke University

Prior to joining UNCSA, Nelson held a Mendota Postdoctoral Teaching Fellowship in English at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her current book manuscript, Iconic Attachments: Cultural Disability Narratives of Gendered Pain, examines the critical and popular reception of disabled women writers and artists from post-1970s literary and cultural production. She is also developing research on the gendered politics of doping and girlhood in competitive figure skating.

Professional Memberships:

• American Studies Association
• Modern Language Association

Nelson emphasizes accessibility and trauma-informed pedagogy, integrating embodied knowledge and personal histories into the learning environment. Her courses curate interdisciplinary texts to help student-artists discover their creative voices and aesthetic sensibilities.