Laura Sloan Patterson

Professor Laura Sloan Patterson serves in the Department of English within the College of Liberal Arts at Seton Hill University, holding the rank of Professor. Her academic journey began with a Princeton University B.A. (1996), followed by Vanderbilt University M.A. (1997) and Ph.D. (2001) in English Literature, where she later served as Lecturer and Writing Program Administrator.

Her research centers on southern women's literature, domesticity, and material culture, with significant contributions to feminist theory and composition pedagogy. Patterson's scholarship uniquely examines kitchens and domestic objects as sites of cultural negotiation in southern writing, analyzing authors like Eudora Welty through intersectional gender frameworks. She pioneers techno-feminist pedagogy, integrating digital tools like podcasting into literary studies to enhance critical thinking.

Patterson's recent publications reveal sustained engagement with southern literary archives and innovative teaching methods, including a 2019 Elizabeth Bishop archival study and 2018 pedagogical research on Welty. Her creative output as a poet complements scholarly work, with publications in Rust and Moth and North Carolina Literary Review, where her 'Delaware River' was a James Applewhite prize finalist.

• Openness Award, Seton Hill University (2008)
• Susan Ford Wiltshire Prize for Women's Studies (2000)
• James Applewhite poetry prize finalist (2017)
• Vanderbilt Dissertation Year Fellowship (2000-2001)
• Yale University Faculty Seminar participant (2009)

As an educator, Patterson has directed writing programs, developed digital pedagogy workshops, and presented nationally on composition theory. Her leadership extends to founding the Pittsburgh Area Composition Directors group and organizing NEMLA panels. Current projects explore digital humanities applications in southern studies and feminist technology integration in composition classrooms.

Her research lab operates through the Department of English, focusing on collaborative student projects in literary archives and digital storytelling. Patterson maintains active memberships in the Modern Language Association, College Composition and Communication, and Society for the Study of Southern Literature, regularly presenting at their conferences.