Erin A. Clark

Erin A. Clark serves as Professor in the English Department at East Carolina University, specializing in technical communication, rhetoric, and composition with a focus on gender and feminism. Her research critically examines rhetorics of health and medicine, environmental communication, and risk frameworks through feminist lenses.

Her academic foundation includes:

• Ph.D. in English Studies from Illinois State University
• M.A. in Professional Writing and Rhetorics from Illinois State University
• B.A. in Composition from Truman State University
• B.A. in Journalism from Truman State University

Clark's scholarly work interrogates apparent feminisms in technical contexts, particularly analyzing slow crises like the Deepwater Horizon disaster and reproductive justice movements. She pioneers frameworks connecting feminist theory with risk communication, emphasizing intersectional approaches to medical discourse and environmental rhetoric. Her methodology centers on embodied rhetorical action that challenges pathologizing narratives in healthcare systems.

Recent publications reveal evolving trends toward collaborative public feminisms and digital activism, with increasing focus on bodily autonomy in medical imaging and reproductive justice. Her 2024 monograph established foundational concepts for analyzing corporate environmental rhetoric through feminist ethics.

Award recognition includes:

• 2025 CCCC Outstanding Book Award
• 2025 CCCC Best Book in Technical or Scientific Communication Award
• 2015 CCCC Outstanding Dissertation Award in Technical Communication

As director of the grant-funded ECU Zine Lab, Clark leads initiatives in public information dissemination through alternative media formats. Her teaching portfolio spans doctoral seminars in technical communication to undergraduate courses in scientific writing, consistently integrating technology and feminist pedagogy. Current projects examine digital reproductive justice movements and medical consent frameworks.

The lab operates through community partnerships focused on accessible health communication and environmental advocacy, utilizing zine-making as participatory action research methodology.