Thomas Festa

Thomas Festa is a Professor of English at the State University of New York at New Paltz (SUNY New Paltz), affiliated with the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. He holds a Ph.D. from Columbia University and graduated summa cum laude from UCLA. His research focuses on poetry and poetics across historical periods, literary theory, intellectual history, and ecocriticism. Current projects include essays on James Merrill and W.S. Merwin, a forthcoming poetry chapbook Earthen, and publications in journals like Bennington Review and Connecticut River Review.

Dr. Festa's scholarly work spans early modern literature, with notable publications such as The End of Learning: Milton and Education (2006) and co-edited volumes like Early Modern Women on the Fall (2012). He has received prestigious awards including the Milton Society of America’s Irene Samuel Memorial Award (2022) and SUNY New Paltz’s Excellence in Scholarship Award (2013).

• Education:
  • Ph.D., Columbia University
  • B.A. summa cum laude, UCLA

His creative work includes poetry exploring themes of grief, love, and environmental consciousness. Recent poems appear in Lightwood Magazine and Stone Poetry Journal. Dr. Festa also contributes literary reviews, such as his analysis of Jorie Graham’s Runaway in Lightwood.

Awards highlight his contributions to scholarship and teaching, including recognition for feminist pedagogy through Early Modern Women on the Fall. His interdisciplinary approach bridges early modern studies with contemporary ecocriticism and poetic innovation.