Leah Wilson
We are so lucky to have Dr. Leah Wilson join us as an adjunct lecturer this year! Leah recently finished her PhD in lit studies at WSU and while doing so taught WGST and lit classes. Her education was specifically centered around contemporary women’s and LGBTQ writing, making her a great fit for our department. Prior to completing her PhD, she also received her masters from Iowa State in WGST and English and taught WGST for an additional year. In undergrad, Leah chose to study creative writing and did a minor in history. Growing up in the south, she was discouraged from pursuing an interest in WGST. While she tells us she was quite politically active on campus in undergrad, WGST was still quite underground and she didn’t fully understand what feminism was about. She says in the past 15 years, however, things have shifted and many more young students are expressing interest in WGST programs which is fantastic to see.
When asked if she had always had an interest in teaching, she told us that her initial dream had actually been to open and run her own coffee shop. However, now that she has been teaching for quite some time, she feels quite passionately about her job and much prefers it to the idea of running a cafe! In fact, Leah was drawn to SCU in particular because of all the great things she heard about the staff and students in the WGST department here at Santa Clara. She says that so far, everything has absolutely lived up to her expectations and she feels quite lucky to have students who are so engaged. In general, she feels that WGST is a subject in which most students tend to get excited.
Next quarter, Leah will be teaching LGBT lit and could not be more excited! Since comtemporary women and queer writing is her specialty, this course is something she has always been eager to teach. The course will cover books including Zami by Audre Lorde and the play Angels in America by Tony Kushner. In her free time, Leah loves hiking and camping. She would love for students to show her their pet photos!