Katherine Zlabek

Dr. Katherine Zlabek is a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Department of English at Marquette University. Her research focuses on the History of the Novel and 20th Century American Gothic Fiction, alongside creative writing exploring working-class identity and spirituality. She holds an MFA from Western Michigan University and a PhD from the University of Cincinnati, where she was a Taft Dissertation Fellow. Her work has appeared in Boulevard, The Kenyon Review, and Ninth Letter.

Education:
- PhD in English, University of Cincinnati
- MFA in Creative Writing, Western Michigan University
- BA, Augustana College

Her teaching philosophy emphasizes fostering students as both writers and engaged citizens. She teaches courses like Foundations in Rhetoric and Crafting the Short Story, prioritizing community-driven workshops. Her creative publications include the story collection When (2019) and chapbook Let the Rivers Clap Their Hands (2015).

Awards:

• Winner of The Journal’s 2018 Non/Fiction Collection Prize
• AWP Intro Journals Award recipient

Her scholarship bridges literary analysis and creative practice, interrogating themes of morality and social context in narrative forms.