Three faculty members named Creative Practice Workshop Fellows

The Center for the Literary Arts, a signature initiative of the Arts & Sciences Strategic Plan, has named its first cohort of Creative Practice Workshop Fellows. These faculty members will begin their residencies in the fall 2023 semester:

Flora Cassen, chair and associate professor of Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern studies

Cassen's book project, “Major Transitions in the History of Antisemitism,” weaves together the history of antisemitism with true stories of Jewish men and women from the 14th century to today. Each story centers on a time of transition when perceived differences between Jews and Europeans were redefined as society changed.

Ji-Eun Lee, associate professor of Korean language and literature

Lee will pursue a translation of several travelogues by female Korean writers from the early 20th century. Her project will explore the less-known and less-translated genre of women’s travelogue and explore its significance in the context global feminist writing.

Edward McPherson, associate professor of English

McPherson will work on a nonfiction book investing long-distance mapping, aerial photography, and top-down perspectives from pre-Civil War America to modern times. “The Long View” will combine history, reporting, and personal experience as McPherson talks to activists, programmers, spies, artists, entrepreneurs, and locals on the ground.

Flora Cassen, Ji-Eun Lee, and Edward McPherson

The WashU Creative Practice Workshop is an interdisciplinary effort that provides an opportunity for creative practice faculty across various fields to collaborate, produce, and share work. By drawing from diverse disciplines, the workshop offers its members a unique community of fellow creative practitioners who can support and challenge each other’s ideas and ambitions, while also providing a semester leave and dedicated workspace for individual scholars in creative practice to complete their proposed projects. Those accepted into the Creative Practice Workshop will be in residence at the Center for the Literary Arts for the designated semester and will be relieved of all teaching and administrative duties for that semester.

The Center for the Literary Arts will offer opportunities for faculty members to apply to the WashU Creative Practice Workshop during the fall and spring of each academic year. The deadline for spring 2024 applications is March 31, 2023