William Christmas

William Christmas is a Professor and Literature Advisor in the Department of English Language and Literature at San Francisco State University. He specializes in eighteenth-century British literature, women writers, and laboring-class poetry. His work bridges literary analysis with social theories of class and gender.

Education:

• B.A., English, University of Vermont
• M.A., English, University of Washington
• Ph.D., English, University of Washington

Research Focus: His research examines laboring-class poets, poetic forms, and textual studies. He authored The Lab’ring Muses (2001) and edited Eighteenth-Century English Labouring-Class Poets (2003). Recent essays explore Mary Leapor, Ann Yearsley, and verse epistles in working-class contexts.

Labs/Initiatives: He curates Poetical Scavenger, a digital humanities project featuring student research on eighteenth-century poems.

Teaching: Courses include eighteenth-century British literature, women writers, Jane Austen studies, and literature/film intersections.