Billy Middleton
Teaching Associate Professor
School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Education
- PhD (2011) University of Southern Mississippi (English (Creative Writing))
- MA (2008) University of Southern Mississippi (English (Creative Writing))
- BA (2001) Mississippi College (English (Minor in Education))
Research
Scholarly Work
"Landscape, Determinism, and Nostalgia in Jo McDougall's Arkansas Delta Poetry." Arkansas Review, vol. 50, no. 1, April 2019, pp. 8-13.
"'Furl that Banner, Softly, Slowly: Confederate Flags and the Historical Gaze in Gone with the Wind." Southern Quarterly, vol. 55, no. 2, 2018.
"Two-Headed Medicine: Hoodoo Workers, Conjure Doctors, and Zora Neale Hurston." Southern Quarterly, vol. 53, no. 3/4, 2016
Fiction
"Pine Barrens." CRAFT, Oct. 2022, forthcoming.
* This story was awarded third place in the CRAFT Literary Contest, judged by Alan Heathcock.
"Renovations and Repairs." J Journal: New Writing on Justice, vol. 13, no. 2, Fall 2020, pp. 22-35.
"The Earth and Its Spaces." Santa Monica Review, vol. 28, no. 2, Fall 2016.
* This story was an honorable mention for the Cincinnati Review’s 2016 Schiff Prize.
“Wrestling Classics.” Magnolia’s Press, September 2010. “Trolls.” FRiGG Magazine, no. 29, July 2010.
“Del Ray’s Basement.” Bicycle Review, no. 5, February 2010.
“Communist.” Product, no. 23, October 2009.
“CEO.” Word Riot, August 2009.
“Marko,” Product, no. 22, August 2008.
“Greatest Jazz Hits.” Kennesaw Review, May 2008.
“Kye-Oats.” Vestal Review, no. 31, Web Issue October 27, Print Issue January 2008.
Creative Nonfiction
"Of Time and Cotton." Valley Voices, vol. 20, no. 2, Fall 2020, pp. 59-66
“R.I.P. Anita.” Water~Stone Review, no. 18, Nov. 2015.
“The Fear of Secondhand Guilt.” River Styx, no. 91/92, Summer 2014, pp. 64-72. Creative Nonfiction.
* This essay was listed as a Notable Essay of 2014 in Best American Essays 2015.
“On Becoming a Better Fraud.” The MacGuffin, vol. 24, no. 2, Winter 2013. Creative Nonfiction.
Poetry
“From the Vicksburg Apartments.” Down to the Dark River: An Anthology of Contemporary Poems about the Mississippi River, eds. Philip C. Kolin and Jack B. Bedell. Hammond, Louisiana Literature Press, 2015.
“Snow on the Old Mississippi River Bridge.” Down to the Dark River: An Anthology of Contemporary Poems about the Mississippi River, eds. Philip C. Kolin and Jack B. Bedell. Hammond, Louisiana Literature Press, 2015.
Conference Proceedings
“Don’t Trust Anyone Over 30: Heathers Comes of Age.” College English Association 50th Annual Conference: Vision/Revision, Mar. 28 2019, Astor Crowne Plaza, New Orleans, LA. (Co-Presented with Robin Hammerman)
“Houngan and Bokor: The Empowering Dualism of Haitian Vodou.” College English Association 48th Annual Conference: Islands, Mar. 2017, Hilton Head, SC.
“Using Signature Assignments to Promote Critical Thinking and Student Engagement.” Lessons in Learning: Highlights from the Teaching Professors Conference, Oct. 2016, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ.
"R.I.P. Anita." Launch party for Water~Stone Review 18, November 2015, Hamline University, St. Paul, MN. Creative nonfiction reading.
"Writing with Urgency, Writing with Agency: The Roles of Planning and Spontaneity in Prose," Spontaneity and Improvisation in Leadership: Insights from the Humanities, Management, and Social Sciences, April 2014, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ.
"R.I.P. Anita," creative nonfiction, College English Association 45th Annual Conference, March 2014, Baltimore, MD. Creative nonfiction reading.
"First-Year Writing and Adaptation: Understanding the Tech University Habitat," College English Association 44th Annual Conference, April 2013, Savannah, GA.
“Some Doubts about Our Prospects.” 2011 Graduate Student Research Symposium, University of Southern Mississippi, March 2011, Hattiesburg, MS. Fiction reading.
“Communist.” Café Night – Poetry and Prose by Students from the Center for Writers, April 2010, Hattiesburg, MS. Fiction Reading.
“CEO.” Café Night – Poetry and Prose by Students from the Center for Writers, April 2010, Hattiesburg, MS. Fiction Reading.
“Voodoo and Voices: Zora Neale Hurston, Black Magic, and Necessary Secrecy.” College English Association 41st Annual Conference, March 2010, San Antonio, TX.
“Multimodality and Technology in the Composition Classroom.” South Mississippi Writing Project, March 2010, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS.
“Voodoo and Voices: Zora Neale Hurston, Black Magic, and Necessary Secrecy.” Faculty-Graduate Research Colloquium, October 2009, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS.
“CEO.” Word Riot, August 2009. Podcast.
Book Reviews
Kolin, Philip C. Delta Tears. St. Austin Review, vol. 21, no. 3, May/June 2021.
Kolin, Philip C. Reaching Forever: Poems. Presence: A Catholic Journal.
Schuyler Clay, Maude. Delta Dogs. Southern Quarterly, vol. 52, no. 4, 2015.
Kolin, Philip C. In the Custody of Words: Poems. Dappled Things, Easter Issue. 2014.
Mariani, Paul. Epitaphs for the Journey. Vineyards: A Journal of Christian Poetry, vol. 3, 2013.
Tullos, Allen. Alabama Getaway: The Political Imaginary and the Heart of Dixie. Southern Quarterly, vol. 51, no. 3, 2013.
Solomon, Rakesh H. Albee in Performance. Theatre Journal, vol. 64, no.1, 2012.
Palmer, R. Barton and William Robert Bray. Hollywood’s Tennessee: The Williams Films and Postwar America. South Atlantic Review, 2011.
Zheng, Jianqing, ed. The Other World of Richard Wright: Perspectives on His Haiku. Southern Quarterly, vol. 49, no.1, 2011.
"Landscape, Determinism, and Nostalgia in Jo McDougall's Arkansas Delta Poetry." Arkansas Review, vol. 50, no. 1, April 2019, pp. 8-13.
"'Furl that Banner, Softly, Slowly: Confederate Flags and the Historical Gaze in Gone with the Wind." Southern Quarterly, vol. 55, no. 2, 2018.
"Two-Headed Medicine: Hoodoo Workers, Conjure Doctors, and Zora Neale Hurston." Southern Quarterly, vol. 53, no. 3/4, 2016
Fiction
"Pine Barrens." CRAFT, Oct. 2022, forthcoming.
* This story was awarded third place in the CRAFT Literary Contest, judged by Alan Heathcock.
"Renovations and Repairs." J Journal: New Writing on Justice, vol. 13, no. 2, Fall 2020, pp. 22-35.
"The Earth and Its Spaces." Santa Monica Review, vol. 28, no. 2, Fall 2016.
* This story was an honorable mention for the Cincinnati Review’s 2016 Schiff Prize.
“Wrestling Classics.” Magnolia’s Press, September 2010. “Trolls.” FRiGG Magazine, no. 29, July 2010.
“Del Ray’s Basement.” Bicycle Review, no. 5, February 2010.
“Communist.” Product, no. 23, October 2009.
“CEO.” Word Riot, August 2009.
“Marko,” Product, no. 22, August 2008.
“Greatest Jazz Hits.” Kennesaw Review, May 2008.
“Kye-Oats.” Vestal Review, no. 31, Web Issue October 27, Print Issue January 2008.
Creative Nonfiction
"Of Time and Cotton." Valley Voices, vol. 20, no. 2, Fall 2020, pp. 59-66
“R.I.P. Anita.” Water~Stone Review, no. 18, Nov. 2015.
“The Fear of Secondhand Guilt.” River Styx, no. 91/92, Summer 2014, pp. 64-72. Creative Nonfiction.
* This essay was listed as a Notable Essay of 2014 in Best American Essays 2015.
“On Becoming a Better Fraud.” The MacGuffin, vol. 24, no. 2, Winter 2013. Creative Nonfiction.
Poetry
“From the Vicksburg Apartments.” Down to the Dark River: An Anthology of Contemporary Poems about the Mississippi River, eds. Philip C. Kolin and Jack B. Bedell. Hammond, Louisiana Literature Press, 2015.
“Snow on the Old Mississippi River Bridge.” Down to the Dark River: An Anthology of Contemporary Poems about the Mississippi River, eds. Philip C. Kolin and Jack B. Bedell. Hammond, Louisiana Literature Press, 2015.
Conference Proceedings
“Don’t Trust Anyone Over 30: Heathers Comes of Age.” College English Association 50th Annual Conference: Vision/Revision, Mar. 28 2019, Astor Crowne Plaza, New Orleans, LA. (Co-Presented with Robin Hammerman)
“Houngan and Bokor: The Empowering Dualism of Haitian Vodou.” College English Association 48th Annual Conference: Islands, Mar. 2017, Hilton Head, SC.
“Using Signature Assignments to Promote Critical Thinking and Student Engagement.” Lessons in Learning: Highlights from the Teaching Professors Conference, Oct. 2016, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ.
"R.I.P. Anita." Launch party for Water~Stone Review 18, November 2015, Hamline University, St. Paul, MN. Creative nonfiction reading.
"Writing with Urgency, Writing with Agency: The Roles of Planning and Spontaneity in Prose," Spontaneity and Improvisation in Leadership: Insights from the Humanities, Management, and Social Sciences, April 2014, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ.
"R.I.P. Anita," creative nonfiction, College English Association 45th Annual Conference, March 2014, Baltimore, MD. Creative nonfiction reading.
"First-Year Writing and Adaptation: Understanding the Tech University Habitat," College English Association 44th Annual Conference, April 2013, Savannah, GA.
“Some Doubts about Our Prospects.” 2011 Graduate Student Research Symposium, University of Southern Mississippi, March 2011, Hattiesburg, MS. Fiction reading.
“Communist.” Café Night – Poetry and Prose by Students from the Center for Writers, April 2010, Hattiesburg, MS. Fiction Reading.
“CEO.” Café Night – Poetry and Prose by Students from the Center for Writers, April 2010, Hattiesburg, MS. Fiction Reading.
“Voodoo and Voices: Zora Neale Hurston, Black Magic, and Necessary Secrecy.” College English Association 41st Annual Conference, March 2010, San Antonio, TX.
“Multimodality and Technology in the Composition Classroom.” South Mississippi Writing Project, March 2010, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS.
“Voodoo and Voices: Zora Neale Hurston, Black Magic, and Necessary Secrecy.” Faculty-Graduate Research Colloquium, October 2009, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS.
“CEO.” Word Riot, August 2009. Podcast.
Book Reviews
Kolin, Philip C. Delta Tears. St. Austin Review, vol. 21, no. 3, May/June 2021.
Kolin, Philip C. Reaching Forever: Poems. Presence: A Catholic Journal.
Schuyler Clay, Maude. Delta Dogs. Southern Quarterly, vol. 52, no. 4, 2015.
Kolin, Philip C. In the Custody of Words: Poems. Dappled Things, Easter Issue. 2014.
Mariani, Paul. Epitaphs for the Journey. Vineyards: A Journal of Christian Poetry, vol. 3, 2013.
Tullos, Allen. Alabama Getaway: The Political Imaginary and the Heart of Dixie. Southern Quarterly, vol. 51, no. 3, 2013.
Solomon, Rakesh H. Albee in Performance. Theatre Journal, vol. 64, no.1, 2012.
Palmer, R. Barton and William Robert Bray. Hollywood’s Tennessee: The Williams Films and Postwar America. South Atlantic Review, 2011.
Zheng, Jianqing, ed. The Other World of Richard Wright: Perspectives on His Haiku. Southern Quarterly, vol. 49, no.1, 2011.
General Information
My chief areas of interest include creative writing, fiction and nonfiction as well as the pedagogy of first year writing and professional writing. My scholarly focuses include film studies and Southern literature, particularly the anthropological work of Zora Neale Hurston on Voodoo and Hoodoo.
Experience
Stevens Institute of Technology (2011 - present)
Institutional Service
- Thoughts on Bots Conference Planning Committee Chair
- Program Director for the Foundations (formerly Freshman Experience) Program Chair
- Foundations Teaching Assistant Professor Search Committee Chair
- Foundations Lecturer Search Committee Chair
- Program Director for the Foundations (formerly Freshman Experience) Program Chair
- Thoughts on Bots Conference Planning Committee Chair
- Assessment Director Chair
- Faculty Adviser - Poetry Club Member
- Faculty Handbook Revision Committee Member
- Foundations Reader Committee Member
- Faculty Adviser - Poetry Club Member
- AEFIS Advisory Committee Member
- Assessment Director Chair
- Chair, Working Group for Section IV: Faculty Handbook Revision Committee Chair
- Co-Chair, Faculty Senate Subcommitee on Improving the Evaluation of Teaching Chair
- Faculty Handbook Revision Committee Member
- Search Committee for Assistant Director of Assessment Member
- Search Committee for Associate Director of Teaching and Learning Center Member
- Board of Trustees: Alumni and Development Member
- Bissinger and Richardson Awards Committee Member
- Organizer of the College of Arts and Letters Creative Writing Contest and Awards Ceremony Chair
- Faculty Senate Member
- Search Committee for Assistant Professor of Writing and Humanities (First-Year Experience) Member
- Search Committee for Director of the Teaching and Learning Center Member
- CAL Extended P&T Committee Member
- Co-Chair, Faculty Senate Subcommitee on Improving the Evaluation of Teaching Chair
- Chair, Working Group for Section IV: Faculty Handbook Revision Committee Chair
- Faculty Handbook Revision Committee Member
- Working Group for Identifying a New Assessment System Member
- Assessment Director Chair
- Faculty Adviser - Poetry Club Member
- Bissinger and Richardson Awards Committee Member
- Organizer of the College of Arts and Letters Creative Writing Contest and Awards Ceremony Chair
- Committee on Committees, Chair Chair
- Faculty Senate Member
- CAL Extended P&T Committee Member
- Assessment Director Chair
- Bissinger and Richardson Awards Committee Member
- Committee on Committees, Chair Chair
- Faculty Adviser - Poetry Club Member
- Faculty Senate Member
- Committee on the Improvement of Evaluation of Teaching Member
- Interview Committee for the Vice President of Development and Alumni Engagement Member
- Assessment Director Chair
- Freshman Experience Search Committee Member
- Bissinger and Richardson Awards Committee Member
- Presentation Assessment for Howe Business School Member
- Committee on Committees, Chair Chair
- Faculty Adviser - Poetry Club Chair
- Faculty Senate Member
- Organizer of the College of Arts and Letters Creative Writing Contest and Awards Ceremony Chair
Professional Societies
- CEA – College English Association Member
Selected Publications
Book Review
- Middleton, B. (2024). Book Review of Philip C. Kolin's "White Terror, Black Trauma". Louisiana Literature (1 ed., vol. 41).
- Middleton, B. (2021). Review of Philip C. Kolin's "Delta Tears". St. Austin Review.
- Middleton, B. (2020). Review of "Reaching Forever," by Philip C. Kolin. Presence: A Journal of Catholic Poetry (vol. 4, pp. 163-167). Caldwell, NJ: Department of English, Caldwell University.
- Middleton, B. R. (2019). Review of "The Night's Magician: Poems about the Moon" by Philip C. Kolin and Sue Brannan Walker, editors. The Louisville Review (85 ed., pp. 127-128). Louisville, KY: Spalding University.
Journal Article
- Middleton, B. R. (2019). Landscape, Determinism, and Nostalgia in Jo McDougall's Arkansas Delta Poetry. Arkansas Review: A Journal of Delta Studies (1 ed., vol. 50, pp. 8-13). Jonesboro, AR: Arkansas State University.
- Middleton, B. R. (2018). "Furl that Banner, Softly, Slowly": Confederate Flags and the Historical Gaze in Gone With the Wind. Southern Quarterly (2 ed., vol. 55, pp. 153-170). Hattiesburg, MS: University of Southern Mississippi.
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/710325/summary.
Magazine/Trade Publication
- Middleton, B. (2022). Pine Barrens. CRAFT Literary (October 2022 ed., pp. NA). Online: CRAFT Literary.
- Middleton, B. (2021). Renovations and Repairs. J Journal: New Writing on Justice (2 ed., vol. 13). New York, NY: John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
- Middleton, B. (2020). Of Time and Cotton. Valley Voices (2 ed., vol. 20, pp. 59-66). Itta Bena, MS: Mississippi Valley State University.