English

Dr. Allison Douglass

Assistant Professor

Dr. Allison Douglass’ teaching interests are 20th and 21st century American literature, culture and rhetoric. She holds a B.A. in English and drama from Vassar College, an M.A. in English from Midwestern State University and a Ph.D. in English from The Graduate Center, CUNY. Her scholarly interests are in queer theory, play and humor. Douglass studies playful forms of cultural production, including games, comedy and improvisational performances, especially from LGBT+ communities. She is also interested in applying play and humor in the classroom. Douglass enjoys serving as director of the Writing Center and collaborating with the students who work with her. Her hobbies are sewing, hand embroidery and bird watching. She has two cats, Elvis and Edna St. Vincent Millay.

Dr. Natalie Grinnell

Reeves Family Professor in Humanities

Natalie Grinnell’s areas of interest include medieval studies (especially medieval romance), the writings of Geoffrey Chaucer and John Gower, gender studies, detective fiction, fantasy and science fiction. She holds B.A. degrees in French and English from Tulane University, and earned an M.A. degree and Ph.D. in English from SUNY at Buffalo. Grinnell says the personal relationships that develop between students and faculty and the freedom to pursue and develop her scholarly passions are two of her favorite things about Wofford. In her spare time, Grinnell enjoys ceramics, cooking and her two “strict felines.”

Dr. Bria Harper

Assistant Professor of English

B.A. and M.A., University of Alabama
Ph.D., Michigan State University

Dr. Bria Harper’s research interests include African American literature, Black feminist thought, Black girlhood studies, popular culture and memory studies.

Dr. Jim Neighbors

Professor of English

Dr. Jim Neighbors’ teaching interests include Black literature and culture in the United States, the history of Black activism in the United States, the history of white supremacy and anti-Black racism in the United States, and the practice and theory of antiracism in the United States. He is currently leading the Back of the College Project, a community partnership to tell the history of the rise and decline of a prominent Black Spartanburg neighborhood. His research also focuses on the history of Black resistance to white supremacy and anti-Black racism in the United States, the history of Black women’s literary, cultural and activist traditions in the United States, and Black film history in the United States. He earned his B.A. from the University of Washington, and his M.A. degree and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He enjoys working with Wofford students, whom he often finds to be hard-working, insightful, sincere, curious, compassionate and, at times, inspiring. Away from Wofford, he enjoys long-distance running, making bread, playing with dogs, road trips and enjoying time with family and friends.

Dr. Carey Voeller

Professor of English

Dr. Carey Voeller teaches courses on Early American and 19th century American literature, gender studies and American protest literature. Voeller’s research interests include 19th century sensation novels; literature concerning race, slavery, and abolitionism; gender studies and disability studies. He enjoys working with students of all levels during their four years at Wofford, finding value in the intellectual conversations that he is able to have with them on a daily basis in class discussions. Away from Wofford, Voeller is an outdoorsman at heart, spending his free time fishing, hiking and listening to underground music.

Dr. John McAlister Ware

Professor and Chair of English

Ph.D., University of North Carolina
M.A., University of North Carolina at Wilmington
B.A., University of Virginia

Dr. John M. Ware’s teaching interests include Restoration and 18th-century British drama, horror film, environmental film, English grammar and usage, and history and varieties of English. His research interests include Restoration and 18th-century British drama (comedies and musicals of the late 18th century in particular) and horror film (American horror film and folk horror in particular). In his spare time he enjoys reading, writing, film, dogs, gardening and enjoying the outdoors.

Dr. Carol Brasington Wilson

Professor of English and Coordinator of Academic Advising

B.A., Wofford College
M.A., Ph.D., University of South Carolina

Dr. Carol Brasington Wilson’s teaching interests include modernist literature, family relationships in literature, business and professional writing; first-year writing, reading, and critical thinking; active learning pedagogy; student success coaching; and incorporating inclusive pedagogy into teaching and advising practice. Her research focuses on faculty advising models, learning and support; active-learning pedagogy in teaching and advising; academic advising theory, competencies and pedagogy; student success coaching; growth mindset in first- and second-year students; application of Arthur Chickering’s 7 Vectors of Student Development in academic advising and classroom teaching; and relational competencies valuable for achieving equity and inclusion in respecting students’ individual, familial and cultural backgrounds.