معرفی
Dr. Joseph Pizza is an Associate Professor of English at Belmont Abbey College, where he directs the first-year writing program and oversees the creative writing magazine Agora. He holds a B.A. from Rider University, an M.A. from Ohio University, and an MSt and DPhil from the University of Oxford. His research focuses on modern and contemporary literature with particular emphasis on African American studies, writing pedagogy, and the intersection of jazz with poetic innovation. Known for advocating progressive campus initiatives, Pizza’s scholarship bridges historical analysis and contemporary cultural practice.
His educational journey includes training at three prestigious institutions: Rider University (B.A.), Ohio University (M.A.), and Oxford University (MSt and DPhil). Research interests span transatlantic modernism, African American literary traditions, and the role of improvisation in both literary and pedagogical contexts. Pizza’s work often explores how jazz’s fluidity influences poetic form and cultural expression, as seen in studies of figures like Charles Olson and Diane di Prima.
Recent publications include Dissonant Voices: Race, Jazz, and Innovative Poetics in Midcentury America (forthcoming 2023) and articles on T.S. Eliot’s engagement with minstrelsy and Jane Cortez’s Black Arts Movement poetry. His presentations have addressed topics like serial improvisation in writing classrooms and the legacy of Black Mountain College’s experimental ethos.
Pizza actively collaborates with North Carolina’s artistic communities and teaches courses such as Transatlantic Modernism and Contemporary Poetry. His advocacy extends beyond academia to fostering an inclusive campus environment through curricular and community initiatives.
