Tyrone R. Simpson

Tyrone R. Simpson is an Associate Professor of English at Vassar College, serving as Director of the Urban Studies Program. He also teaches in Africana Studies, American Studies, and Urban Studies. His research focuses on American nationalism, immigration, black intellectual thought, and critical race theory. He has held fellowships at the University of Virginia’s Carter G. Woodson Institute and the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship Program in Princeton.

Education: BA (University of Virginia), MA (Boston College), MA (Xavier University), PhD (Indiana University-Bloomington). Joined Vassar in 2004.

Research emphasizes intersections of race, politics, and literature, including imprisonment narratives, black comedy, and the politics of confessional storytelling. His book Ghetto Images in Twentieth Century American Literature (2012) examines fictionalized ghetto experiences. Current projects explore black autobiography and racial politics in Kansas.

Awards and recognitions include prestigious fellowships and contributions to interdisciplinary programs. Active in campus initiatives like the Buildings and Belonging project documenting African American history at Vassar.