Mary Holland

Mary Holland is Professor of English at the State University of New York at New Paltz, where she has served since 2007, progressing from Assistant Professor (2007-2013) to Associate Professor (2013-2017) and full Professor (2017-present). Her academic career includes prior lecturing positions at Trinity University, University of the Incarnate Word, and University of Maryland University College across Germany, Bosnia, and South Korea.

Her educational background includes a Ph.D. in English from UCLA, an M.A. in English from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a B.A. in English from Rice University where she received the Lady Geddes Prize in Writing (1990).

Holland specializes in the intersection of contemporary literature, ethics, and media technology. Her research demonstrates a critical trajectory from postmodern narrative techniques toward humanist realism, examining how 21st-century fiction revitalizes ethical dimensions after postmodernism. Recent work pivots to institutional critique, analyzing gendered abuse in academia through literary frameworks. She argues that contemporary literature employs innovative techniques to reflect evolving concepts of reality while restoring moral engagement.

Her publication history reveals three distinct phases: early scholarship on David Foster Wallace establishing her expertise in postmodernism; mid-career work on contemporary realism exploring ethical narrative techniques; and current research applying literary studies to #MeToo activism. This evolution reflects growing engagement with social justice, culminating in editorial leadership on gender violence in academic spaces.

Holland's scholarly recognition includes:

• 2022-2023 Chancellor’s Award for Creative and Scholarly Activity
• SUNY New Paltz Sabbatical Awards (2014, 2021)
• Multiple UUP Professional Development Awards
• Chancellor’s Dissertation Fellowship (UCLA)
• Teaching Excellence Award (UCLA English Department)

She actively mentors emerging scholars as dissertation committee member for E.C. Koch (SUNY Albany) and external reviewer for PhD candidates at Griffith University, University of Glasgow, Queen’s University, and Deakin University. Her grant portfolio features sustained research support including Faculty Research Initiative grants (2010, 2014, 2016) and Harry Ransom Center funding. Holland also provides significant field service through editorial board roles for Bloomsbury's David Foster Wallace Studies series and manuscript reviews for Oxford University Press and PMLA.