Morris Speller

Morris Speller is a Lecturer in the University Writing Program at Johns Hopkins University, where he joined the faculty in 2022 after completing his PhD in History from the same institution in 2020. Previously, he served as an Allen Grossman Teaching Fellow and Post-Doctoral Fellow in the program, and has taught history courses at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).

His research focuses on:

• History of mortgage discrimination and predatory lending in St. Louis
• Racial segregation and housing policy
• Queer community history and "gayborhood" politics in Baltimore
• Urban renewal impacts on Baltimore neighborhoods

Dr. Speller integrates digital and public humanities into his writing courses, creating projects that connect historical analysis to contemporary Baltimore through partnerships with the Baltimore City Archives and Peale Museum, supported by his 2023 Engaged Scholar Faculty Fellowship.

He has received the Ditz Prize in Teaching from the Johns Hopkins History Department (2020) for teaching excellence.