BIO

After growing up in the forests and meadows of New England, I now enjoy the stunning landscapes of the sage-brush steppe ecosystems of southwestern Idaho. Before moving to teach at the College of Idaho, I studied at Bates College (B.A., English, 1990) and worked for two years in the health insurance industry in Cambridge, Massachusetts, learning—in addition to the “9 to 5” commuter lifestyle—that an English major‘s skills in analytical thinking, precise expression, and conceptual organization are deeply valued in the business world. I then went west to Claremont Graduate University (M.A., Ph.D., 1999), where I studied American literature and benefited from taking courses in environmental history while backpacking all over the West. In the 1990’s, the “environmental humanities” was just emerging as a field, though not known by that name. I was fortunate to get involved just as this interdisciplinary mode of study was taking off and just as ASLE, the Association for the Study of Literature and Environment, was forming. I attended the first conferences focused on literature and environment and later served as President of both ASLE. Thanks to great mentors and encouraging professors, I was able to center my dissertation work on a historicized reading of the cultural work performed by nineteenth-century natural history. While my interests have changed over the years, once centering on theories of power and ecocriticism and later on material culture and theories of perception, my fascinations with language, meaning, and materiality sustain me. An author or editor of books, scholarly articles, reviews, and creative essays, my work has been supported or recognized by the Carnegie Foundation, the Idaho Humanities Council, the American Antiquarian Society, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, among other organizations. I value professional service, community, and finding ways for my academic scholarship to have public relevance in our politically and environmentally fraught age. On a more personal note, I enjoy exploring the vitality of matter through yoga, gardening, and running.

EDUCATION

Ph.D., Claremont Graduate University

M.A., Claremont Graduate University

B.A., Bates College

SCHOLARSHIP & RESEARCH

To learn more about my scholarly publications, creative writing, speaking engagements, and awards, or to see my full CV/resume, please visit: https://www.rochellejohnsonwriter.com/.