Annie Persons

My work as a scholar and teacher is driven by a belief in the importance of creativity. I began writing and working with undergraduates as an MFA student in poetry, where I learned that attention to detail and context, as well as a willingness to take intellectual risks, can positively transform how we see art, the world, and each other. Over the course of my PhD in eighteenth-and-nineteenth-century literature and culture at the University of Virginia, I brought those beliefs to bear on questions about energy in myriad forms, from fossil fuels and “clean energy” to work ethic and affective experiences. While I find joy in exploring these questions through written media, my liberal-arts background and current work as an Advising Fellow have taught me the importance of interdisciplinary thinking: as a teacher of Engagements, I strive to create a classroom energy that inspires students to discover and creatively pursue their own intellectual interests.