معرفی
Dr. Leigh (Lea) Graham serves as Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing in the School of Liberal Arts at Marist College, teaching contemporary poetry, creative nonfiction, travel writing, and Latin American literature while leading international travel courses across Ireland, Haiti, Spain, Ecuador, and Italy.
Her academic foundation includes:
- BA from Westminster College
- MA from University of Illinois-Chicago
- PhD from University of Illinois-Chicago
Research centers on Contemporary Poetry and Travel Writing and Place Studies, examining intersections of cultural identity, memory, and geographic space through innovative poetic forms. Her work integrates Music Studies and Latin American Literary Traditions to explore narrative structures in both creative and critical contexts.
Publications reveal consistent thematic engagement with place-based narratives and experimental poetics, particularly through editorial leadership on Michael Anania's critical anthology and multidisciplinary projects like Murmurations that bridge visual arts and poetry.
Key recognitions include:
- Forty Women in Forty Years Alumni Award (Westminster College, 2020)
- Literal Latte Poetry Prize Winner (2018)
- Dogwood Prize Shortlist (2018)
- Crab Creek Review Prize Shortlist (2017)
- Robert Kroetsch Award Shortlist (2016)
Dr. Graham actively mentors students toward publication of creative work while supporting applications for study abroad and graduate programs. She curates impactful projects including the O.E.D. Poem Project, visiting writer interviews, and campus writing contests that foster literary community engagement.
Her international teaching collaborations—such as co-taught courses on blues poetry and pilgrimage studies—demonstrate a practice grounded in cross-cultural academic exchange and experiential learning beyond traditional lab structures.
