Delia D. Steverson

Delia D. Steverson is an Associate Professor of English at the University of Alabama, specializing in 19th and 20th century African American Literature, Critical Disability Studies, and Southern Studies. Her work examines intersections of race, disability, and state-sanctioned violence in literature and culture. She holds a PhD, MA, and BA in English from the University of Alabama and Agnes Scott College, respectively.

• Education: PhD (2017), MA (2012), BA (2009)

Her research includes Stumbling Blocks and Other Unfinished Work (2023), which recontextualizes the legacy of Delores Phillips, and Making Black Selves, exploring alternative Black subjectivity. She has held prestigious fellowships like the Mellon Career Enhancement Fellowship and has published widely in journals such as Journal of Literary and Cultural Disability Studies.

Her articles span themes like disability in Toni Morrison’s Sula and racial perception in Melville’s Benito Cereno. Awards include the Humanities Scholarship Enhancement Award (2020) and NEH funding (2018).

• Grants: NEH Summer Institute (2018), Course Development Grant (2018)

She collaborates on curriculum development and mentors pre-college students through non-profits like the one where she served as Assistant Director of Programs. Her work bridges academia and public engagement, emphasizing marginalized voices in literature.