Department of English
Information for Prospective Graduate Students
Meet Our PhD Students
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Abby Arnold
I'm working on my PhD in Rhetoric and Composition, with minors in 19th Century British Literature and Women's and Gender Studies. I earned an MFA in Fiction from Bennington College, an MA in English from Virginia Commonwealth University and my BA in English at the University of Virginia. I have two young children and when I'm not stressing about how to do the school/mom thing I'm writing about it, in a monthly opinion column for The Mothers Movement Online.
Alan Benson
I'm a PhD candidate in Rhetoric and Composition with a special focus on Critical Theory and online discourse. Hey, stop yawning! I'm back in school after 10 years in the tech industry writing manuals, GUI text, and FAQs. Yes, I'm the guy to blame when you don't understand what "PC LOAD LTR" means. I got my BA at Boston University's College of Communication and my MA at UNCG.
Robert Brandon
I am working on my Ph.D. after earning my M.A. from East Tennessee State University and my B.A. from Virginia Intermont College. My main areas of interest are Medieval and Renaissance literature, and I am also interested in composition study.
Temeka Carter
I have been on the Ph.D. Rhetoric/Composition track since Fall 2002. My areas of interest include the relation of theory and practice in pragmatism and feminism, visual literacy, and women and gender studies. I am especially interested in the works of bell hooks and John Dewey.
Nadine Cooper
I received my B.A. in Business Management (with a minor in English!) from University of Tampa and my M.A. in English Literature at Austin Peay State University, where I also taught courses in literature and composition for a few years. Currently I am working toward a Ph.D. in 18th Century British Literature, and am especially interested in the function of clothing in gender roles. I live with my husband and collection of two dogs, Cedric and Duncan, and two cats, who are all troublemakers when I’m in the thralldom of writing papers, but still provide great emotional support.
Will Duffy
I graduated magna cum laude from Elon University in 2003 and completed a Master's Degree in English from UNCG in 2006. I'm currently in the process of completing course work for the Ph.D with a concentration in Rhetoric and Composition with minor fields in critical theory and pragmatic philosophy. I'm also interested in the intersections between rhetoric and theology, especially when addressing topics related to hermeneutics, semiotics, and questions about the relationship between language and belief.
Laura Field
Currently, I am a PhD student in the Rhetoric and Composition program. I am also finishing work on my Graduate Certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies. My other areas of academic interest include pedagogy and feminist theory. Prior to working on my PhD, I received my BA in English from Montclair State University (1999) and my MA from UNCG (2003). For me, the best part of this journey is working with the students in my ENG 101 and 102S classes. When I’m not at school, I love spending time with my husband and my stepdaughter. Feel free to email me.
Brandy Grabow
I am a PhD student in the Rhetoric and Composition program. My interests are too many to count. I have no idea how I will focus them all into a dissertation. I received my MA with a focus in Teaching Composition from UNCG in the Spring of 2005. My undergraduate work was in Theatre Arts. I received my BA from Minnesota State University Mankato in 2002. When I get a chance to look up from the computer, I am usually refereeing the constant turf war between our two cats and the dog.
Michelle Johnson
I am a Rhetoric and Composition major with minor concentrations in American Literature before 1900, African-American Women's Writing, and Black feminist theory. My dissertation focus is racial literacy -- a combination of rhetoric, critical race theory, literacy theory, and critical pedagogy. I attended Spelman College for undergrad where I majored in English. After teaching in the public school system for five years, I completed my Master's in Teaching Composition at UNCG in 2003.
Dorothy Kuykendal
I received my BA in English and Spanish from Wake Forest University in 2002, and my MA in English from UNCG in 2004. I'm currently pursuing a PhD in twentieth- and twenty-first century British and world literatures, trying to convince my students that yes, books DO have something to do with real life as we live it today. When I'm done with my course work and exams, I'll be doing my dissertation on the South African novelist/essayist J.M. Coetzee. (What do you mean, "How do you pronounce that"?) My major area of study is officially 20th Century British Literature, with minors in 20th Century American Literature and 20th Century World Lit.
Kristen Pond
I received my BA from St. Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg, NC with a double major in English and Philosophy and my MA here at UNCG. I am in the PhD program in literature, with a focus on the Victorian Novel. My interests also extend to Discourse, Narrative and Identity, and the 18th- and the long 19th-century in British Literature. When I am not at school or doing things for school I enjoy rock climbing, hiking, playing with my new kitty (Emma), pretending to play my guitar, and spending time with my wonderfully supportive and very understanding husband.
Mary Beth Pennington
I am working on my PhD in Rhetoric and Composition Studies. I received my BA in Communication Studies from Virginia Tech in 2000, and after two years of corporate work, returned to complete my MA in English from VT from 2002-2004. The year before returning for my PhD, I taught composition courses at both Siena College and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in upstate NY. My areas of interest include connections between pragmatism and composition theory and investigations of rural students' literacy and classroom experiences.
Melissa Richard
I received my BS in Secondary Education and MA in English at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (I'm still adjusting to not having a Mardi Gras holiday). Now a second-year PhD student, I'm much too interdisciplinary for my own good: I work in 19th-century British literature, Rhetoric/Performance Studies, and can't decide what I should do with my background in Southern lit. When not pontificating on the significance of Dickens or explaining the pronunciation of my last name (doesn't sound as it looks), I moonlight as a belly dancer, roller skate, and/or drink too much coffee.
David Rogers
I’m working on my PhD in English after completing my MA at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. My research interests include transoceanic/transatlantic exchanges in literature and history --particularly in the 18th and 19th centuries--Rhetoric and Composition, Cultural Studies, and Literary Theory. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions.
MaryBeth Short
I am a 19th Century American Literature major in my first year. I hail from Upstate New York in the heart of the Finger Lakes - Ithaca, NY. I have published a piece on Pheobe Cary in Writers of the American Renassaince and have other works in the process of being published. I have a special interest in American Realism and Naturalism and wrote my master's thesis on Stephen Crane's Maggie.
Karen Summers
I am a PhD student majoring in Medieval Lit and minoring in Renaissance and possibly Critical Theory. After starting a family and living in Asia (Tokyo and Seoul) for nine years, I went back to school and got my MA from UNC Charlotte in 2003. I live in Clemmons and have two tall sons and two cats. I am delighted to be at UNCG in the company of so many talented and creative people.
G. Warlock Vance
PhD English Literature focusing on 20th Century American, and 19th and 20th Century British. Critical pieces published on authors J.K. Huysmans and H.P. Lovecraft, as well as 20th century film and various aspects of spiritual/religious study. I have also written and lectured on book collecting. In addition to my academic studies I am also a published author and artist with work in over 100 publications. My most recent appearances are in the anthologies titled Demonology: Grammaticus Demonium (from Double Dragon Publications), and Epitaphs (Padwolf Publishing). Other works are scheduled to appear later this year in both British and American anthologies. Hobbies include book, toy, and stamp collecting (and just about anything else one could imagine with which to fill up empty space).
Kari Warren
I'm working on my PhD after getting my MA at East Carolina University, and my BA before that at Wofford College (Go Dogs--Woof). I'm interested in 20th century American lit with minors in 19th century American lit and composition. I live in Winston-Salem with my husband Grant, my two sons Jack and Hank, and my dog and cat, Gus and Kitty. I'm a Virgo,and I love pina coladas and getting caught in the rain.
Janet White
I am fortunate to be able to complete my PhD at UNCG after having completed my MA in English here in 2003. My primary area of interest is Twentieth Century American Literature with an emphasis in multi-ethnic literatures by women. Other areas of interest include women's and gender studies, pedagogy, and postmodern and cultural theories.
Tammy Wiandt
I am a PhD commuter student from Ohio. My interests are in Renaissance and Medieval literature, composition studies, and women's studies. When I am not trapped for seven hours at a stretch in my car, I enjoy collecting books and acting as long-distance referee to my three sons. In a past life I was an actress, soldier, corporate toady, and Disney Store Greeter, all of which have served to prepare me for the insanity that is grad school life. Eventually, I plan to go back to Ohio where the weather is normal and the drivers are sane, and teach at a local school. Unless of course that book deal or offer from Harvard comes through.
Stephanie Womick
I received a B.A. in English and Education from Wingate University in 2005 and will receive my M.A. in English at UNCG in the spring of 2007. I am currently taking course work for the PhD, teaching freshman English as a T.A., and serving on the EGSA board. My areas of interest are nineteenth-century British fiction, transatlantic studies, and domestic fiction. My “amateur” academic interests are oral traditions and word history, Appalachian literature and culture, and myth/fantasy in literature.