Maya Sonenberg

Maya Sonenberg is a Professor in the Department of English at the University of Washington, part of the College of Arts & Sciences. Her research focuses on 20th and 21st century literature, creative writing, and the exploration of themes such as family history, cultural identity, and gender through narrative forms. She is currently working on projects including Models for Raising the Dead, a hybrid memoir and literary analysis, and essays on Merce Cunningham and miniature narratives. Pedagogically, she emphasizes student creativity using the Critical Response Process, integrating visual arts and artists' books into her teaching.

Education: B.A., Wesleyan University (1982); A.M., Brown University (1984).

Her awards include the Richard Sullivan Prize for Fiction (2021) and the Drue Heinz Literature Prize (1989). Recent publications include the short story collection Bad Mothers, Bad Daughters (2022), which explores maternal and female narratives through mythic and domestic lenses.

Teaching and advising: She routinely mentors students in creative writing and interdisciplinary projects, co-teaching with UW’s art department. Her courses emphasize innovative storytelling and the intersection of text and visual art.

Labs/teams: Engaged with the Program for Writing and Rhetoric and affiliated journals, though no specific lab names are cited.