Faculty and Staff
Our faculty are renowned scholars and writers, many of whom have published popular and award-winning biographies or memoirs, including the Pulitzer Prize. Drawing from many CUNY campuses, our current teaching roster includes Jason Tougaw (The One You Get: Portrait of a Family Organism), Ava Chin (Eating Wildly: Foraging for Life, Love, and the Perfect Meal), Katherine Culkin (Harriet Hosmer: A Cultural Biography) and Tahisha Ford (Dressed in Dreams: A Black Girl’s Love Letter to the Power of Fashion).
In addition, students in our program study and practice the art and craft of biography with guidance from eminent writers who are well connected in academic and publishing circles. Brenda Wineapple (author of The Impeachers: The Trial of Andrew Johnson and The Dream of a Just Nation) and Annalyn Swan (Pulitzer Prize-winning author of de Kooning: An American Master, and Bacon: Revelations) regularly teach small seminars.
Biography and Memoir Faculty
André Aciman
Distinguished Professor
- French
Distinguished Professor
- Comparative Literature
Distinguished Professor
- Biography and Memoir
Ammiel Alcalay
Professor
- English
Professor
- Comparative Literature
Professor
- American Studies
Professor
- Middle Eastern Studies
Professor
- Medieval Studies
Professor
- Africana Studies
Professor
- Biography and Memoir
Manu Bhagavan
Professor
- History
Professor
- Biography and Memoir
Ava Chin
Associate Professor
- Biography and Memoir
Sarah Covington
Professor
- History
Professor
- Global Early Modern Studies
Program Director
- Biography and Memoir
Katherine (Kate) Culkin
Professor
- Biography and Memoir
Joseph W. Dauben
Distinguished Professor
- Liberal Studies
Distinguished Professor
- History
Distinguished Professor
- Biography and Memoir
Distinguished Professor
- Global Early Modern Studies
Marc Dolan
Professor
- English
Professor
- Liberal Studies
Professor
- Film Studies
Professor
- American Studies
Professor
- Biography and Memoir
Tanisha C. Ford
Professor
- History
Professor
- Biography and Memoir
Linda M. Grasso
Professor
- Liberal Studies
Professor
- Women's and Gender Studies
Professor
- Biography and Memoir
Donna Haverty-Stacke
Professor
- History
Professor
- Biography and Memoir
Allison Kavey
Professor
- History
Professor
- Biography and Memoir
Professor
- Global Early Modern Studies
Thomas Kessner
Distinguished Professor
- History
Distinguished Professor
- Liberal Studies
Distinguished Professor
- Biography and Memoir
Distinguished Professor
- American Studies
Wayne Koestenbaum
Distinguished Professor
- English
Distinguished Professor
- Comparative Literature
Distinguished Professor
- French
Distinguished Professor
- Film Studies
Distinguished Professor
- Biography and Memoir
Distinguished Professor
- American Studies
Sara McDougall
Professor
- French
Professor
- History
Professor
- Biography and Memoir
Professor
- Medieval Studies
Nancy K. Miller
Distinguished Professor
- French
Distinguished Professor
- English
Distinguished Professor
- Comparative Literature
Distinguished Professor
- Biography and Memoir
Distinguished Professor
- Women's and Gender Studies
David S. Reynolds
Distinguished Professor
- English
Distinguished Professor
- History
Distinguished Professor
- Comparative Literature
Distinguished Professor
- Biography and Memoir
Distinguished Professor
- American Studies
Helena Rosenblatt
Distinguished Professor
- History
Distinguished Professor
- French
Distinguished Professor
- Political Science
Distinguished Professor
- Biography and Memoir
Domna C. Stanton
Distinguished Professor
- French
Distinguished Professor
- Biography and Memoir
Distinguished Professor
- Women's and Gender Studies
Distinguished Professor
- Comparative Literature
Distinguished Professor
- Global Early Modern Studies
Annalyn Swan
Visiting Lecturer
- Biography and Memoir
Araceli Tinajero
Professor
- Latin American, Iberian, and Latino Cultures
Professor
- Biography and Memoir
Mexican Studies Faculty Coordinator
- Bildner Center for Western Hemisphere Studies
Jason Tougaw
Associate Professor
- Biography and Memoir
EMERITUS FACULTY
Mary Ann Caws
Distinguished Professor Emerita
- French
Distinguished Professor Emerita
- English
Distinguished Professor Emerita
- Comparative Literature
Distinguished Professor Emerita
- Women's and Gender Studies
Distinguished Professor Emerita
- Biography and Memoir
Blanche Wiesen Cook
Distinguished Professor
- History
Distinguished Professor
- Women's and Gender Studies
Distinguished Professor
- Biography and Memoir
David Nasaw
Distinguished Professor Emeritus
- History
Distinguished Professor Emeritus
- Biography and Memoir
Distinguished Professor Emeritus
- American Studies
