Gwen Macallister
Professor of English
Department Chair
English
On Faculty Since 2002
Studying English at Covenant College provides a rich opportunity to explore the wonders of God's gift of language, as we delight in the beautiful richness of a wide array of literary texts and as students explore and express their own God-given creativity in writing. Students develop the ability to wrestle thoughtfully with nuanced and complex ideas, as we discuss literature together from a Christian perspective.
Education
- PhD University of South Carolina
- MA University of South Carolina
- BA Covenant College
Interests / Specialization
I specialize in 20th and 21st-century American literature with particular interests in contemporary poetry and fiction, detective fiction, and graphic novels.
Selected Professional Work
- "'Cold Clear Water Cupped in the Palm of a Hand': Transcendence in Sally Rooney's Novels." Western Conference on Christianity and Literature, Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, California, March 18, 2023.
- "'She listens, listens': Levertov's and Trethewey's Poetic Attention to the Marginalized Subject in Velasquez's Painting Kitchen Maid with Supper at Emmaus." Southwestern Conference on Christianity and Literature, John Brown University, Siloam Springs, Arkansas, September 30, 2022.
- "'This Syntax of Monuments': Reckoning with the Past in the American South." Western Regional Conference on Christianity and Literature, Biola University, La Mirada, California, April 8, 2022.
- "Truth and Reconciliation in Natasha Trethewey's Poetry." Southwestern Conference on Christianity and Literature, Northeastern State University, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, October 16, 2021.
- "'Inconceiveably real, infinitely dear': Re-Enchanting the World in Lincoln in the Bardo." Western Regional Conference on Christianity and Literature. Colorado Christian University, Denver, Colorado, April 5, 2019.
Get to know your professor
Q. Favorite food?
A. Dark chocolate
Q. What is one thing that instantly makes your day better?
A. Coffee
Q. If you could teach any other major, what would it be?
A. History
Q. Personal Interests/Hobbies
A. Spending time with family and friends. Traveling, particularly to National Parks.