Funding Opportunities

Funding for Graduate Travel to Research Collections

Graduate students who wish to travel to libraries or other archives for their research can apply for funding from the Center for American Literary Studies. Awards will be made for up to $350 per request, and will be made for work in the field of American literary studies, broadly defined. Awards will be granted as funds allow; each student may only apply once per academic year. Applications should be made before travel occurs. Grants may not be used for conference travel.

Graduate students are eligible for CALS grants only if the given project is not already supported by the English department; in turn, projects under current or past funding from the department will not be eligible for CALS grants. There is no restriction, however, on a student holding separate awards from the Center and the department

How to Apply

To apply for a grant to support travel to research collections, graduate students should submit a one-page statement to CALS Director Sean Goudie that includes the following information. Applications are due on October 15 and April 15 of each year and should be signed by the student’s dissertation advisor or by another qualified faculty member.

Library or archive to be used
Nature and scope of research
Projected outcome (i.e., dissertation chapter, article, seminar paper, etc.)
Estimated budget

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Libraries, Archives and Centers

CALS Spotlight

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Henry James Letters Receives MLA Seal

Congratulations to Michael Anesko: Volume 19 of The Complete Letters of Henry James has received the MLA Approved Edition Seal. Well done, Michael!

Wong Appointed as Inaugural Poet Laureate

On June 2, 2025, current doctoral student Carmin Wong was announced as the inaugural Poet Laureate of State College. In this position, Wong will serve the community by promoting the consumption and creation of poetry in State College.

Additionally, Wong was featured in the 2025 Shirley Graham Du Bois Creative-in-Residence. Her showcase, "Them Poems Along Won't Save Us' was featured online by the Academy of American Poets and broadcast on WBUR.

Working with Girls Write Now as a 2025 Teaching Artist, Carmin Wong, was interviewed by the organization she has been a part of for over ten years.

Congratulations, Carmin, on all of your accomplishments!

Mackey-Barkers Accepts Position at Stony Brook University

Yolanda Mackey-Barkers has accepted a position as an assistant professor of African American Literature and Culture at Stony Brook University. She graduated in Spring 2025. Her dissertation is titled, "The Black Renaissance and the Radical Politics of Black Print Culture, 1915-1945" and was directed by Xiaoye You. Congratulations, Yolanda, on this job market success!

Erlandson Accepts Position at Del Mar College

Andrew Erlandson, a past recipient of a CALS research seminar funding award, has accepted a tenure-track job offer from the English and Philosophy Department at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas. Andrew’s dissertation, “Disabled Democracy: Figuring Disability in Earth Nineteenth-Century Literary and Political Discourses,” was directed by Chris Castiglia. Congratulations, Andrew, on the job market success!

Haddaway Accepts Position at Middle Tennessee State University

Rebecca Haddaway has accepted a tenure-track position in early American literature at Middle Tennessee State University. She graduated in Fall of 2023. Her research centers on abolition and medical discourse in early America and her dissertation was co-directed by Claire Colebrook and Carla Mulford. Congratulations, Rebecca, on this great job market success!

Murray Ross Accepts Position at James Madison University

Courtney Murray Ross has accepted a tenure-track position as Assistant Professor in English at James Madison University. She graduated this spring with her PhD in English and African American Studies. Her research centers on Black women, reproduction, and space in nineteenth-century African-American literature and her dissertation was co-directed by Michael Bérubé and Gabrielle Foreman. Congratulations, Courtney, on this great job market success!