We’re really delighted to welcome three new faculty to the Department!

Ileana Jiménez 

Professor Jiménez joins us as a PRODiG+ Fellow, and as part of the English Teacher Education Program. Her research focuses on Black and Latina feminisms, feminist and queer pedagogies, and digital feminist activism in the high school English classroom. As an English teacher-activist, she taught women of color feminisms and queer literature classes at the high school level for over 25 years. In 2011, she received a Fulbright to interview queer and trans high school students in Mexico City on their relationships and friendships, as well as their experiences with bullying and harassment. She received her BA in English Literature at Smith College; an MA in English Literature at Middlebury College; and a PhD in English Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She is @feministteacher on social media platforms.

Name one work you love to teach, and why it’s meaningful to you:

I can’t really name one, but as a set, I really love teaching the Combahee River Collective’s “Black Feminist Statement” (1977); Audre Lorde’s Sister Outsider (1984); and Toni Morrison’s Beloved (1987). Each text has been a part of my teaching for the last 27 years and each informs my stance on transformative justice. I truly believe that each one needs to be read by every high school student in the US.

What’s next, in terms of your research and/or writing?

I’m currently working on a series of articles that are coming out of my dissertation, including one that just came out in English Journal on teaching women of color feminisms in the high school classroom and another one that I’m revising focusing on Black girls and #MeToo digital activism. In the future, I’d like to write a memoir about my journey as a feminist teacher. 

Fun fact: 

During the pandemic, I ran a lot, including three half-marathons: one in Brooklyn; one in Providence; one in London. Finishing my dissertation over the last year took me out of training and I’m slowly trying to get back to a more regular running routine. I’ve never considered myself an athlete, but running reminds me to get back in my body as well as outside beyond desks and screens.

David Heska Wanbli Weiden

(Photo credit: Aslan Chalom)

Professor Weiden joins us as one of the inaugural faculty of the Native American and Indigenous Studies initiative. An enrolled citizen of the Sicangu Lakota Nation, he is author of the novel Winter Counts (Ecco/HarperCollins), winner of numerous literary awards and named by Time magazine as one of the best mystery novels of all time. His short fiction appears in the anthologies The Best American Mystery and Suspense Stories, Never Whistle at Night, Denver Noir,Midnight Hour, This Time for Sure, and other anthologies. In 2024, he was Indigenous Artist in Residence at Brown University and has received fellowships from PEN America, MacDowell, Ucross, Ragdale, Sewanee, and Tin House. He’s the editor of Native Edge, a new series of the University of New Mexico Press.

Name one work you love to teach, and why it’s meaningful to you:

The novel Winter in the Blood by James Welch has deep meaning for me, as it was the first book I’d ever read written by an Indigenous author. Although I didn’t completely understand it as a teenager, it literally changed my life as I realized that Native people could write about ourselves and our communities. The novel is truly a classic, and I’m looking forward to sharing it with my students here!

What’s next, in terms of your research and/or writing?

I’m finishing my next novel, Wisdom Corner for HarperCollins. I’m also in the final stages of editing an anthology of Native-authored short stories titled Native Noir for Akashic Books. Finally, I have a scholarly article that I’ve just completed, “Leonard Peltier’s Sun Dance,” that will be published next year in The Cambridge Companion to American Prison Literature.

Fun fact:

I’m a big music fan, and I’m really excited for the opportunity to see great live music here! I tend to listen to alternative rock most frequently (Radiohead, X, Television, etc.) although I also love classic jazz and am hoping to catch a set at the Village Vanguard soon. 

Neisha Terry Young

Professor Young joins us as part of the English Teacher Education Program. She has been an educator for 19 years and has taught middle and high school English in Jamaica and the United States. She also has experience as an instructor in teacher-preparation programs at Drexel University and Temple University. She earned her teaching diploma from Shortwood Teachers’ College in Jamaica (with honors), her BA in English from Georgia State University (Summa Cum Laude), her MA from Southern New Hampshire University, and her PhD in Education Policy and Leadership from Drexel University.

Professor Young’s research explores the affordances of multiliteracies in supporting the intersectional identities of Black immigrant youth. She has received various recognitions and awards for her work, including the Drexel University School of Education Ann Marie Weil Award (2022), the English Language Arts Teacher Education (ELATE) graduate student research award (2022), the Robert Blake Memorial Scholarship from the International Congress for Critical Pedagogy and Transformative Leadership, and a 2024 MAXQDA Research for Change: Black History Month grant. She is the Director of the VOICE Lab, a new research lab in the Department of English, which aims to be a collaborative hub that provides platforms for the crafting and amplifying of immigrant narratives.

Name one work you love to teach, and why it’s meaningful to you:

I love teaching the poetry of Langston Hughes, whose works offer a profound critique of racism in the United States while celebrating the resilience, strength, and vitality of the Black diaspora. His poetry embodies a spirit of defiance and endurance that never fails to inspire both my students and me, leaving us feeling deeply empowered and transformed.

What’s next, in terms of your research and/or writing?

My current research explores the immigration narratives of Black immigrants in the United States. Part of this research will be included as a composite video in an exhibit on Caribbean immigrant experiences at the Penn Museum later this year.

Fun fact:

As an immigrant from Jamaica, I have always loved spending time at the beach. I am excited to explore the beautiful shores of Long Island and discover all they have to offer.

Professor E.K. Tan

PhD Candidate, Nayoung Yang

Asian literature is not only reshaping societal norms but also challenging deeply rooted traditions by reconceptualizing what is familiar. Stony Brook University’s Fall 2024 Faculty-Student Colloquium with Professor E.K. Tan and PhD candidate Nayoung Yang provided inspiring research on these themes, focusing on alternative kinships, gender roles, war, and the importance of representation both in media and literature. 

Professor E.K. Tan proposes that the concept of “queer homecoming” intervenes in traditional, heteronormative kinship structures defined by Confucianism. His current book project, Queer Homecoming: Translocal Remapping of Sinophone Kinship, draws upon literature, film, and social and new media to argue that activists and creative artists in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan are challenging traditional family structures by rethinking the familial and the familiar. PhD candidate Nayoung Yang challenges not only heteronormative structures but also the traditional gendered roles assigned to women with her research on the poetics of recipes. Using poems from Jiyun Yun’s 2020 collection, Some Are Always Hungry, Nayoung examines how Yun reconstructs cooking from being the primary domain of women into a powerful form of literary expression. 

Both Professor Tan and Nayoung Yang’s research beautifully integrated Asian literature and historical and cultural events to highlight current struggles and injustices within these Asian communities. Their passion is undoubtedly portrayed through their research, offering a standard everyone should take inspiration from. After attending this Colloquium, I know I certainly will never read a recipe the same again.

Kevin Sousa

After transferring to Stony Brook as an English major, Kevin’s time in the English Honors Program has been beyond fulfilling. While working on his Honors thesis on William James’ pragmatic influence on Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw, Kevin states he’s been most enjoying reading up on pragmatism and Exceptional Mental States for his research: “It’s so interesting how Henry James is sort of subtly responding to William James’ ideas.” Expecting to graduate in December 2024, and hoping to go on to being a newspaper editor, Kevin advises English majors to consider if the Honors Program is the right opportunity for them.

What made you pursue English as a major? What’s the most fulfilling part of it?

During my experience at Suffolk County Community College, I talked to a professor about the opportunities with an English major. This made me want to pursue English, so once I transferred to Stony Brook, I became an English major. The most fulfilling part has been being able to connect with professors. They are often available during office hours, and they encourage working together. 

Tell me about your Honors Thesis; What led you to this topic? Who’s mentoring you?

My mentor and advisor is Professor Scheckel, and I’m doing my thesis on Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw. This topic came about after I read the novella during EGL204, and I became so intrigued in it’s contents. The governess as a character is so fascinating, especially the way she thinks, so when discussing William James being a potential influence on Henry James, I wanted to read more about him, his psychoanalysis research and pragmatist philosophy. It’s so interesting how Henry James subtly responds to William James’ ideas, and that’s what I’ll be proposing with my Honors Thesis.

What was the most fun/interesting thing you learned?

I would have to say reading up on exceptional mental states, especially reading about William James’ ideas about multiple personalities, demonic possessions, dreams, and hypnotism. I truly believe that these ideas fit with the governess. Also, regarding pragmatism, how does the Governess determine her truth? What makes her believe that the ghosts are sinisterly evil? Personally, it feels like she’s trying to use the pragmatic method to uncover the truth, but she just doesn’t quite get there.

Are you involved in any extracurriculars/jobs/internships at SBU? 

I’m currently doing the Herstory internship, and it’s fascinating doing memoir writing. I love hearing other students’ stories about their trauma and experiences. It’s a place where you can really have some personal healing in a way, and that’s what I’m definitely doing with my memoir as well. I’m also a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success and the English Department’s Student Advisory Council.