JC Lee

JC Lee is a Teaching Professor in the Department of English at the University of Pittsburgh, affiliated with the Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences. They specialize in creative nonfiction, environmental writing, and prison education initiatives. JC’s research explores intersections of Pittsburgh’s cultural landscapes, working-class identity, and ecological themes through essays and multimedia projects.

• Primary Affiliations: First Year Programs, Pitt Prison Education Project

Notable works include the award-winning essay “Mother River” (VQR’s 2023 Staige D. Blackford Prize) and a MacDowell Fellowship-supported book project on self-taught painter John Kane and Pittsburgh’s arboreal history. JC has also produced short films blending art and environmental critique.

Awards: 2017 Edward Albee Foundation Fellowship, 2023 MacDowell Fellowship, 2023 Blue Mountain Residency Award.

Teaching focuses on contemporary nonfiction, environmental writing, and collaborative projects bridging university and incarcerated student communities. Current work examines Pittsburgh’s magic-realism traditions and working-class embodiment through the Blue Mountain Residency.