W. Ralph Eubanks

W. Ralph Eubanks is a Faculty Fellow and Faculty Instructor at the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, University of Mississippi, within the College of Liberal Arts. He is a prominent writer and essayist whose work explores race, identity, and the cultural and literary landscape of the American South.

• Position: Faculty Fellow, Black Power at Ole Miss
• Department: Center for the Study of Southern Culture
• University: University of Mississippi (Ole Miss)
• School: College of Liberal Arts
• Email: wreubank@olemiss.edu

Eubanks holds an M.A. in English Literature from the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor. His research and writing focus on Southern literature, racial identity, and the historical and cultural fabric of Mississippi. He has taught courses such as SST 109: Southern Rights and Activism and SST 599: Geography and Southern Literature.

His recent and forthcoming publications include When It’s Darkness on the Delta: An American Reckoning (2025), A Place Like Mississippi (2021), The House at the End of the Road (2009), and Ever Is a Long Time (2003). His 2025 essay "Retranslating the Blues" reflects on the cultural significance of blues music as a form of survival and resistance.

Notable honors include being named a Guggenheim Fellow in 2007 and a Carl and Lily Pforzheimer Foundation Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University (2021–2022).

• Guggenheim Fellow (2007)
• Carl and Lily Pforzheimer Foundation Fellow, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard (2021–2022)

Eubanks is actively engaged in public intellectual life, serving as President of the Authors Guild, advocating for authors’ rights in the age of AI, and participating in national conversations on civil rights, literature, and education. He frequently contributes to public discourse through essays, social media, and public events, including discussions on James Baldwin and the legacy of Medgar Evers.