Deanna P. Koretsky

Deanna P. Koretsky is an Associate Professor of English and the Carnegie Corporation & Rockefeller Foundation Distinguished Research Scholar at Spelman College. Her scholarship spans British and African Diaspora literatures of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, critical race and feminist studies, and horror studies.

Her educational background includes a Ph.D. in English & Feminist Studies from Duke University and a B.A. in English & Russian from Bucknell University.

Research Interests:
Dr. Koretsky's work critically examines intersections of race, gender, and neurodivergence in literary and cinematic horror, particularly vampire media. She pioneers anti-racist pedagogy within Gothic traditions, analyzing how cultural representations perpetuate systemic inequalities through suicide narratives and racialized horror tropes.

Publication Trends:
Her monograph "Death Rights" (2021) and forthcoming "Mathilda" edition (2025) reveal consistent engagement with race-liberalism contradictions in Romantic literature, evolving toward neurodivergent perspectives in Gothic narratives. Both works demonstrate interdisciplinary fusion of critical race theory, literary history, and disability studies.

Scientific Awards and Fellowships:

• Carnegie Corporation & Rockefeller Foundation Distinguished Research Scholar
• National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship
• UNCF/Mellon Fellowship

Grants and Collaborative Work:
Supported by National Endowment for the Humanities, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and Rockefeller Foundation grants, she co-chairs the Race and Empire Studies Caucus and co-founded the Bigger 6 Collective. Her multi-institutional digital humanities initiatives are reshaping access to 17th-19th century English-language literatures through inclusive archival frameworks.