Welcome! My name is Judith Levy, and received a PhD in Comparative Literature from Emory University in August 2020. I also hold Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in English, along with a certificate in teaching writing, from California State University, Fullerton (CSUF). I am currently a lecturer in the Core Program at Oglethorpe University.
Methodology
My literary, philosophical, and historical research analyzes racial and ethnic injustice from imperialism, colonialism and their aftermath (or afterlives–as many problems linger today). It assesses political rhetoric of Caribbean, North African, and American contexts and how literary authors combat such painful narratives in their own writing. Through my research, teaching, and writing, my intention is to open spaces which stimulate and uphold the creation of unique voice within individuals and communities. This involves analyzing and critiquing the political and social structures which generate oppression, recognizing marginalized voices, and utilizing the classroom and other writing projects as sites where authors and audiences interact with each other’s differences in a process of discovery that encourages learning.
In the Field
Beyond researching and teaching, I have held leadership and administrative positions that have made me become better acquainted with writing, editing, marketing, communications, and organizational management. During my time at Emory, I served as the V.P. of Marketing and Communications for the Graduate Student Government Association, and I also took on many projects with the Writing Program. I also enjoyed working with the Office for Undergraduate Education as an assistant to the Honor Council and conducting a research ethics workshop for the Summer Undergraduate Research Program. In summer of 2020, I was a part-time writer-editor for Emory’s Writing Program, working on a handbook for first-year writing. After my PhD, I was interim assistant director to the Honor Council at Emory University, until August of 2021. Additionally, I am currently the Director of Communications for the Virginia Highland District Association in Atlanta.
Creative Practice
I also translate my professional writing experience to a creative practice by writing poetry, prose, and hybrids of the two on my own time. However, I am also working two longer creative projects. One is a collection of mixed-media poetry, and the other is a collection of creative non-fiction. Furthermore, many of my creative writing endeavors are about the process, purpose, and benefits of writing itself.
Regardless of form and content, my writing serves as my meditation, allowing me to witness the world in a medium that can be encountered by others. Altogether, my goal is to foster understanding and connections between individuals and communities by pushing language up against its own limits, through reading, listening, analyzing, writing, and sharing.
On This Website
This website is a tool for anyone who wants to learn more about my academic and creative endeavors. To learn more about my professional credentials, check out my Curriculum Vitae.
On the page, Write On., you can learn more about how I write my way through the world, reflecting on my encounters, ninja battling oppressive forces, sometimes struggling, sometimes breaking through barriers. The moment I put pen to paper, fingers to keyboard, a piece of me is frozen, highlighted in writing, but can also always be re-written. I de-scribe and re-scribe myself endlessly. The moment someone reads my writing, a dialogue–and subsequently–a community begins. Thus writing enacts a relation with myself and with others that involves endless rediscovery.