Michelle Whittaker

Michelle Whittaker is an Assistant Professor in Creative and Expository Writing at Stony Brook University's Program in Writing and Rhetoric. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing and Literature from Stony Brook University, advised by the Stony Brook Poetry Society. Her teaching includes foundational writing workshops, creative writing courses, and special topics like Rhetoric of Poetry and Eco-poetics. She co-directs the Young Artist Writing Program focusing on poetry and playwriting.

Her research focuses on 20th/21st century American/British poetry, ecopoetry, and Afro-Caribbean literary traditions. Her book Surge (2017) was a finalist for the 2018 Next Generation Indie Book Awards and featured in the New York Times. Her work appears in Narrative Magazine, The New Yorker, and Cave Canem.

Recent publications explore environmental themes, experimental forms, and intersectional identities. Her 2020 poems in Shenandoah and Fjords Review exemplify her engagement with ecological poetics and fragmented narratives. Earlier works like Meditations on Pollock’s Troubled Queen (2014) reflect her interest in art history and gender studies.

Awards include recognition from the Cave Canem Foundation and residencies at Great Weather for Media. Her creative nonfiction and poetry frequently address climate anxiety, digital communication, and queer rural experiences. She maintains active collaborations with the Poetry Society and participates in interdisciplinary projects blending music and visual art.