Susan Harlan

Susan Harlan is Professor of English at Wake Forest University specializing in literary studies, material culture, and travel writing. Her interdisciplinary research explores relationships between place, memory, and objects, with particular emphasis on ideas of home, historical interiors, and literary spaces.

Dr. Harlan has authored significant works including Luggage (Bloomsbury Object Lessons series) examining travel objects as curated microcosms of identity, and Decorating a Room of One's Own (Abrams), a satirical exploration of literary homes. Her essays regularly appear in prominent venues including The Paris Review, The Guardian, and Literary Hub, often blending memoir with cultural criticism.

She teaches courses on literary nonfiction, Shakespeare, early modern comedy, and writing about objects, maintaining an active public scholarship profile through media appearances and invited talks at institutions including the American Library in Paris and Morbid Anatomy Museum.