Joe Coulombe

Dr. Joe Coulombe is a Professor in the English Department at Rowan University, part of the College of Humanities & Social Sciences. He joined Rowan in 2001 after teaching in western Tennessee and holds a Ph.D. and M.A. from the University of Delaware (1998) and a B.A. from the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota (1989). His research focuses on how literary narratives engage with gender, race, nation, and regional identity in U.S. literature, from colonial writing to contemporary works.

Dr. Coulombe has authored three books: Humor and Gender in U.S. Fiction (Routledge 2024), Reading Native American Literature (Routledge 2011), and Mark Twain and the American West (University of Missouri Press 2003). He has also published articles on authors such as Edith Wharton, Frederick Douglass, Philip Roth, Thomas King, Dorothy Parker, and Mark Twain.

His teaching spans a broad range of U.S. literary studies, emphasizing critical engagement with historical and cultural contexts. Born in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Coulombe’s academic career reflects a deep commitment to exploring the intersections of literature and societal ideologies.