Francis X. Connor

Francis X. Connor is an Associate Professor and Chair in the Department of English at Wichita State University’s Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He holds a PhD from the University of Virginia (2011) and specializes in Early Modern English Literature, textual editing, and the History of the Book. His research explores intersections between literary form, publishing practices, and cultural contexts, with particular focus on Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, and Kansas’s postpunk music scene. He has contributed to major editorial projects like the New Oxford Shakespeare and Oxford Complete Works of Christopher Marlowe.

Research interests include textual theory, digital humanities, and the materiality of books, alongside studies on 17th-century printers and the socio-cultural role of literary publishing. His notable works include Literary Folios and Ideas of the Book in Early Modern England (2014) and an in-progress critical history of Kansas postpunk. Teaching focuses on pre-1798 English poetry and drama, emphasizing close reading and historical context.

Connor’s scholarship bridges textual analysis with cultural history, often addressing questions of authorship, collaboration, and the transmission of literary works. His recent work on Kansas’s industrial music culture highlights interdisciplinary approaches to regional cultural studies. Despite no explicit awards listed, his contributions to editorial and digital humanities projects reflect significant academic impact.

His record collection, humorously noted as “better than yours,” underscores his engagement with music as both a scholarly and personal interest. Collaborative projects are central to his work, evidenced by multi-editorial roles in major literary editions and ongoing research into Restoration publishing networks.