Michael Pickard

Michael Pickard holds the Eudora Welty Chair of Southern Literature and serves as Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing at Millsaps College, where he also chairs the Department of English and directs the Millsaps Digital Welty Lab. His institutional roles reflect deep engagement with both literary scholarship and digital humanities initiatives.

His academic foundation includes a B.A. in English from Millsaps College (2004), a visiting year at St. Catherine’s College, University of Oxford (2002-2003), an M.A. in Creative Writing from Boston University (2005), and a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia (2015).

Dr. Pickard’s research centers on Eudora Welty studies, British Romanticism, 19th-Century British Literature, Poetry, History of the Book, Textual Studies, and Digital Humanities. His recent scholarship explores Welty’s legacy through digital editions, archival analysis of her domestic spaces, and intersections between mystery fiction and authorship. Current projects include co-authoring Eudora Welty and the House of Fiction with Suzanne Marrs and co-editing a Mississippi foodways anthology with Julian Rankin and Nick Wallace.

His scholarly impact is recognized through significant awards:

• Divisional Award for Excellence in Teaching (2022)
• Janet R. Langley Award for Excellence in Academic Advising
• W. Charles Sallis Award for Distinguished Service to the College
• Mississippi Humanities Council Teacher Award
• E.B. Stewart Family Professorship of Language and Literature

Supported by grants from the Mississippi Humanities Council and Mississippi Arts Commission, Dr. Pickard’s work bridges traditional literary scholarship with innovative digital methodologies. His leadership of the Millsaps Digital Welty Lab fosters interdisciplinary collaboration on Welty’s archives, while his teaching excellence reflects commitment to undergraduate mentorship in creative writing and literary studies.