Jerald Walker to head Writing Literature and Publishing department

Associate Professor Jerald Walker has been named interim chair of Emerson’s Writing, Literature and Publishing Department. His term begins August 15, 2011.

Walker has taught at Emerson since 2010. He received his doctorate in interdisciplinary studies from the University of Iowa, combining the fields of African American literature, African American history, and creative writing. Prior to arriving at Emerson, he was an associate professor of English at Bridgewater State University.

“It’s an honor for me to serve my department and the College in this capacity, especially in an atmosphere of heightened excitement and optimism created by Dr. Pelton’s presidency,” said Walker.

A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Walker has published in magazines such as Creative Nonfiction, The Missouri Review, The Harvard Review, Mother Jones, The Iowa Review, andThe Oxford American, and he has been widely anthologized, including several times in The Best American Essays. Walker is the author of Street Shadows: A Memoir of Race, Rebellion, and Redemption, the recipient of the 2011 PEN New England/L.L. Winship Award for Nonfiction and a Best Memoir of the Year by Kirkus Reviews.

Walker has been a visiting professor in the Program in Writing and Humanistic Studies at MIT and in the MFA in Nonfiction Program at the University of Iowa. His teaching honors include the Favorite Faculty Award and the Martha D. Jones Award for Most Outstanding Dedication to Students.