Maya Hislop

Dr. Maya Hislop is an Assistant Professor in the English Department at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. She holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Virginia (2018) and a B.A. in English from Williams College (2011). Her research focuses on African American Literature, Gender studies (particularly misogynoir and sexual violence), Carceral studies, prison abolition, and Media studies intersecting race, gender, and class.

Her forthcoming book, Bodies in the Middle: Black Women, Sexual Violence, and Justice (University of South Carolina Press, 2025), examines Black women’s experiences of sexual violence through historical and literary lenses. Key projects include analyses of legal cases like Recy Taylor and Joan Little, alongside novels such as Native Son, Corregidora, and Americanah.

Dr. Hislop’s recent publications include book reviews in Resource for American Literary Study and Women’s Studies, as well as an article in Law & Literature (2020). She has presented at major conferences like the American Studies Association and Modern Language Association, focusing on themes like abolition pedagogy, afropessimistic justice, and Black women’s narratives.

Her awards include grants from Clemson University and South Carolina Humanities, supporting projects like the Black History Trail. She teaches courses such as Harlem & Beyond: African American Literature and Reading Rape and White Supremacy, integrating critical theory into curricula.