English Department Faculty

Jan Aslanian: Adjunct Assistant Professor. B.A., Western Michigan University (1971); M.S., University of Southern California (1976).

Expertise: Expository Writing, Workplace Writing.
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Elisabeth Bauman: Visiting Assistant Professor. B.A., Harvard University (1996); M.A., University of Virginia (2001); Ph.D., University of Virginia (2012).

Expertise: Modernism, 20th-century British and American novel, literary theory, literature and philosophy, contemporary anglophone novel, narrative theory.
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Rhoda Burton: Associate Professor (2000). B.A., Fresno Pacific University (1984); M.A., Creative Writing, University of Florida, Gainesville (1989); M.A., UCLA (1997); Ph.D., UCLA (2002).

Expertise: Creative Writing (poetry), American Literature 1865-1925.
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Susanna Childress: Visiting Assistant Professor (2011). B.A., Indiana Wesleyan University (2001); M.A., University of Texas at Austin (2003); Ph.D., Florida State University (2007).

Expertise: Creative Writing (poetry, fiction, nonfiction); Contemporary Literature; Social Justice Literature and Service Learning.
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David Cho: Assistant Professor (2008). B.A., University of Illinois (1995); M.F.A., Purdue University (1999); M.A., Purdue University (2001); M.A.T., University of Washington (2006); Ph.D., University of Washington (2006).

Expertise: Late 19th to 20th Century American Literature, Critical Theory and Theories of Cultural Nationalism, American Ethnic Literatures, Asian American Literature, Postcolonial Literatures and Theory, Contemporary and Modern American Poetry and Fiction, Creative Writing, Critical Pedagogy.
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Linda Clark: Lecturer (2011). M.A., Grand Valley State University (1997); B.A., Alma College (1976).

Expertise: Expository Writing.
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Ernest Cole: Assistant Professor (2008). B.A. (Hon), Fourah Bay College, U.S.L. (1990); M.A., Fourah Bay College, U.S.L. (1994); Ph.D., University of Connecticut (2008).

Expertise: Post-Colonial Literature with emphasis on Sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean, and India; Victorian literature (Travel and Empire).
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John Cox: DuMez Professor (1979). B.A., Hope College (1967); M.A., University of Chicago (1968); Ph.D., University of Chicago (1975).

Expertise: Renaissance Drama, Shakespeare.
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Kim Douglas: Adjunct Assistant Professor. B.A., University of Arizona (1987), MFA, University of Arizona (1990).

Expertise: Multi-cultural education, Race relations, Domestic violence and child abuse prevention.
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Natalie Dykstra: Associate Professor (2000). B.A., Calvin College (1986); M.A., University of Wyoming (1992); Ph.D., University of Kansas (2000).

Expertise: Literary Biography, 19th-Century American Literature, Women's History, History of Photography.
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Derek Emerson: Lecturer. B.A Hope College (1985), M.A. Western Michigan University (1994), continued work towards PhD.

Expertise: A wide range of professional writing including grants, proposals, annual reports, countless memos, and too many meeting minutes. Have published in a variety of places, including newspapers, magazines, online book reviews, and blogs. Also experienced in graphic design and have designed, edited, and formatted several books.
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Curtis Gruenler: Professor (1997). B.A., Stanford University (1985); Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles.

Expertise: Medieval English Literature, Mysticism, and Intellectual History; The Oxford Inklings; History of the English Language; Christianity and Literature; René Girard's mimetic theory.
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Stephen Hemenway: Professor (1972), Director of the Vienna Summer School. B.A., College of the Holy Cross (1964); M.A., Boston College (1967); Ph.D., University of Illinois (1972).

Expertise: Modern English and American literature, African-American literature, Irish literature, Drama, Creative Writing: Satire.
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David James: Adjunct Associate Professor (1987) and Director of Writing and Study Skills Tutoring, Academic Support Center. B.A., Hope College (1976); M.A., University of Iowa (1980).

Expertise: Expository Writing, Teaching Writing, World Literature, and Contemporary Poetry.
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Rob Kenagy: Lecturer (2012). B.A., Hope College (2008); M.F.A., Virginia Tech (2012).

Expertise: Composition and Rhetoric, Creative Writing (poetry, fiction, nonfiction).
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Julie Kipp: Professor (1998). B.A., University of Notre Dame (1984); M.A., University of Notre Dame (1992); Ph.D., University of Notre Dame (1997).

Expertise: 18th and 19th-century British Literature, Irish Studies, Women's Studies.
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Mark Lewison: Lecturer (1999). B.A., Thomas Jefferson College (of Grand Valley State University) (1976); M.A., University of Michigan (1978).

Expertise: Contemporary/recent Southern writers (Robert Morgan, Silas House, Lee Smith, Wendell Berry); Michigan authors Laura Kasischke, Jim Harrison; historical fiction; nonfiction writing and editing; print and online journalism; editorial and graphic design pagination technique.
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Marla Lunderberg: Associate Professor; Director, FOCUS and SOAR Programs. B.A., Hope College (1982); M.A., University of Chicago (1986); Ph.D., University of Chicago (1996).

Expertise: Seventeenth-Century Literature, Asian Studies, Expository Writing, Cultural Heritage.
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Jesus Montano: Associate Professor (1999). B.A., University of Texas at Austin (1991); M.A., The Ohio State University (1996); Ph.D., The Ohio State University (1999).

Expertise: Latina/o Literature, Medieval English Literature.
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William Moreau: Associate Professor (1983). B.A., Hope College (1976); M.Ed., Grand Valley State College (1982).

Expertise: Secondary Language Arts Education, Expository Writing, Creative Nonfiction.
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William Pannapacker: Professor (2000); Director, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Scholars Program in the Arts and Humanities. B.A., St. Joseph's University (1990); M.A., University of Miami (1993); A.M., Harvard University (1997); Ph.D., Harvard University (1999).

Expertise: Digital Humanities, Higher Education, American Literature and Culture.
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Kendra Parker: Assistant Professor (2013); B.A., University of West Georgia (2008); Ph.D., Howard University, Washington, DC (expected 2014).

Expertise: 20th/21st century African American Literature, Speculative Fiction and Black Women Writers, Black Female Vampires
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Pablo Peschiera: Assistant Professor. B.A., Hope College (1993); M.A., Western Michigan University (1998); M.F.A., Western Michigan University (1998); Ph.D., University of Houston (2005).

Expertise: Creative Writing and Contemporary Poetry/Poetics, Small Press Literary Editing and Publishing, Literary Translation, Latino/a American Literature, Contemporary Latin American Literature.
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Dianne Portfleet: Associate Professor (1988). B.A., Pennsylvania State University (1969, Summa Cum Laude); A.B.D., University of Georgia (1980); Ph.D., Columbia Pacific University (1984); Teaching Certification (K-12), Grand Valley State University (1996).

Expertise: Interdisciplinary Studies; World Literature; Milton; Walter Wangerin, Jr.; Children/Adolescent Literature; Far Eastern Religions.
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Greg Rappleye: Lecturer. B.A., Albion College (1974); J.D., The University of Michigan Law School (1976); M.F.A. in Creative Writing, Warren Wilson College (2000).

Expertise: Contemporary Poetry and Poetics, Contemporary Fiction.
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William Reynolds: Dean for the Arts and Humanities and Professor (1971). B.A., Xavier University (1966); M.A., Columbia University (1967); Ph.D., The University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (1971).

Expertise: Medieval and Renaissance English Literature; Detective/Mystery Fiction, Dorothy L. Sayers.
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Peter Schakel: The Peter C. and Emajean Cook Professor of English (1969). B.A., Central College, Iowa (1963); M.A., Southern Illinois University, Carbondale (1964); Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison (1969).

Expertise: English Literature of the Restoration and 18th Century, Jonathan Swift, C. S. Lewis.
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Heather Sellers: Professor (1995). B.A., Florida State University (1985); M.A., Florida State University (1988); Ph.D., Florida State University, Tallahassee (1992).

Expertise: Creative Writing (Fiction, Poetry, Nonfiction); Creative Writing (Pedagogy); American Literature (Contemporary Short Story, Story Cycles, Linked Stories); History and Theory of the Short Story; Journals (Illustrated, Creative, Nature-Journaling); Children's Literature.
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Richard K. Smith: Adjunct Associate Professor (1984). B.A., Hope College (1973); M.A., University of Michigan (1978).

Expertise: Expository Writing.
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Elizabeth Trembley: Associate Professor (1988). B.A., Hope College (1985); M.A., University of Chicago (1986); Ph.D., University of Chicago (1991).

Expertise: Teaching writing (fiction, creative nonfiction, memoir, essay and research); Popular Culture (especially graphic novels and detective fiction); Learning and Thinking Styles; and Faculty Development.
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Kathleen Verduin: Professor (1978). B.A., Hope College (1965), M.A., George Washington University (1969), Ph.D., Indiana University (1980).

Expertise: American Literature (esp. 17th-19th Centuries); Medievalism; Reception of Dante; Modern Fiction; Herman Melville; Stephen King.
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Courtney Werner: Assistant Professor (2012). B.A., Moravian College (2006); M.A., Texas State University (2008); Ph.D., Kent State University (2012).

Expertise: Digital and Feminist Rhetorics; New Media in Rhetoric and Composition; Writing and Composition Pedagogy; Writing Center Studies.
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