The English Department's main office is in Muenzinger D110.

Ruth Ellen Kocher

  • Distinguished Professor

Ruth Ellen Kocher is the author of the poetry collections (Tupelo Press, 2016),  (Tupelo Press 2013),  (Noemi Press, 2013),  (New Issues Press 2003), , winner of the Green Rose Prize in Poetry (New Issues Press 2002), and , winner of the Naomi Long Madget Award for African American Poets (Lotus Press 1999). Her poems have been translated into Persian in the Iranian literary magazine, 厂丑别鈥檙,&苍产蝉辫;and have appeared or are forthcoming in various anthologies including, Angles of Ascent: A Norton Anthology of Contemporary African American Poets, Black Nature, From the Fishouse: An Anthology of Poems that Sing, Rhyme, Resound, Syncopate, Alliterate, and Just Plain Sound Great, An Anthology for Creative Writers: The Garden of ForkingPaths, IOU: New Writing On Money, New Bones: Contemporary Black Writing in America. She has taught poetry writing for the University of Missouri, Southern Illinois University, the New England College Low Residency MFA program, the Indiana Summer Writer鈥檚 workshop, and Washington University鈥檚 Summer Writing program.

Areas of Specialty

  • American Literature
  • Creative Writing
  • Ethnic American Literature, Literature of the Americas, Post Colonial Literature
  • Modern and Contemporary Literature
  • Poetics Aesthetics