1. Biography and Memoir
  2. Faculty and Staff

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 (photo credit: Sigrid Estrada)

André Aciman

Distinguished Professor

  • French

Distinguished Professor

  • Comparative Literature

Distinguished Professor

  • Biography and Memoir
Ammiel Alcalay - Faculty - profile photo

Ammiel Alcalay

Distinguished Professor

  • English

Distinguished Professor

  • Comparative Literature

Distinguished Professor

  • American Studies

Distinguished Professor

  • Middle Eastern Studies

Distinguished Professor

  • Medieval Studies

Distinguished Professor

  • Africana Studies

Distinguished Professor

  • Biography and Memoir
Ava Chin picture

Ava Chin

Associate Professor

  • Biography and Memoir
Sarah Covington - Professor - profile photo

Sarah Covington

Professor

  • History

Professor

  • Global Early Modern Studies

Program Director

  • Biography and Memoir
Joseph W. Dauben - Distinguished Professor - profile photo

Joseph W. Dauben

Distinguished Professor

  • Liberal Studies

Distinguished Professor

  • History

Distinguished Professor

  • Biography and Memoir

Distinguished Professor

  • Global Early Modern Studies
Marc Dolan - Professor - profile photo

Marc Dolan

Professor

  • English

Professor

  • Liberal Studies

Professor

  • Film Studies

Professor

  • American Studies

Professor

  • Biography and Memoir
Linda Grasso

Linda M. Grasso

Professor

  • Liberal Studies

Professor

  • Women's and Gender Studies

Professor

  • Biography and Memoir
Jonathan W. Gray - Associate Professor - profile photo

Jonathan W. Gray

Associate Professor

  • English

Associate Professor

  • Africana Studies

Associate Professor

  • Biography and Memoir
Thomas Kessner faculty photo

Thomas Kessner

Distinguished Professor

  • History

Distinguished Professor

  • Liberal Studies

Distinguished Professor

  • Biography and Memoir

Distinguished Professor

  • American Studies
Wayne Koestenbaum faculty photo

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 - Associate Professor - profile photo

Sara McDougall

Professor

  • French

Professor

  • History

Professor

  • Biography and Memoir

Professor

  • Medieval Studies
Nancy K. Miller headshot faculty

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 Reynolds

David S. Reynolds

Distinguished Professor

  • English

Distinguished Professor

  • History

Distinguished Professor

  • Comparative Literature

Distinguished Professor

  • Biography and Memoir

Distinguished Professor

  • American Studies
Helena Rosenblatt

Helena Rosenblatt

Distinguished Professor

  • History

Distinguished Professor

  • French

Distinguished Professor

  • Political Science

Distinguished Professor

  • Biography and Memoir
Domna Stanton faculty photo

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
Araceli Tinajero - Faculty - profile photo

Araceli Tinajero

Professor

  • Latin American, Iberian, and Latino Cultures

Professor

  • Biography and Memoir

Mexican Studies Faculty Coordinator

  • Bildner Center for Western Hemisphere Studies
David Waldstreicher headshot - CUNY Graduate Center Distinguished Professor

David Waldstreicher

Distinguished Professor

  • History

Distinguished Professor

  • American Studies

Distinguished Professor

  • Biography and Memoir

Staff

MARILYN WEBER
College Assistant for the M.A. Program in Biography and Memoir
BAM@gc.cuny.edu
 

EMERITUS FACULTY

Mary Ann Caws near microphone

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 - profile photo

Blanche Wiesen Cook

Distinguished Professor

  • History

Distinguished Professor

  • Women's and Gender Studies

Distinguished Professor

  • Biography and Memoir
David Nasaw faculty photo

David Nasaw

Distinguished Professor Emeritus

  • History

Distinguished Professor Emeritus

  • Biography and Memoir

Distinguished Professor Emeritus

  • American Studies