College of Arts, Sciences and Education
(231) 591-3660
Deirdre Fagan, DA
Professor
Creative Writing and Literature in Person Coordinator
English, Literature, and World Languages
Phone: (231) 591-3031
Email: [email protected]
Education
- DA, University at Albany, English, Philosophy
- MA, University at Albany, English
- BA, University at Buffalo, English Literature
Biography
Deirdre Fagan is a native New Yorker who has previously lived in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, and Maryland. She has been teaching college writing and literature courses for over two decades and has been at Ferris since 2015. She is the author of a collection of poetry, Phantom Limbs (Sept 29, 2023), the National Indie Excellence and Living Now award-winning memoir about losing her husband to ALS, Find a Place for Me (2022), an Eric Hoffer Award Category Finalist and Next Generation Indie Book Award Finalist collection of short stories, The Grief Eater (2020), a poetry chapbook, Have Love (2019), and a reference book, Critical Companion to Robert Frost (Facts on File, 2007). Fagan publishes poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, as well as literary and theoretical essays on poetry, memoir, and pedagogy. Her creative and academic work is available in online and print literary journals, magazines, and anthologies. She has also written entries for a number of literary encyclopedias. Fagan's poem, "Outside In," was a finalist for Best of the Net 2018. Her poem, "Stepping Up," was nominated for a 2021 Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net, and her poem, "Homesick," was nominated for a 2018 Pushcart Prize. She also received an honorable mention in the Muskegon Art Museum's 2019 Art Talks Back Contest. Fagan has completed writing residencies at The Golden Apple Art Residency in Maine and The Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow in Arkansas. She regularly attends and presents at national and regional conferences as well as offering workshops, presentations, book readings, and signings. Visit Fagan's personal website, deirdrefagan.com, to read her creative and scholarly work, learn more about her activities, and book her for events.
Publications and Intellectual Contributions
- Book
Fagan, D. (2022). "Find a Place for Me," Raleigh, NC: Pact Press, Regal House Publishing. https://regalhousepublishing.com/product/find-a-place-for-me/ - Book
Fagan, D. J. (2020). "The Grief Eater," New York, NY: Adelaide Books. https://adelaidebooks.org/collections/latest-releases/products/the-grief-eater - Book
Fagan, D. (2019). "Have Love," Georgetown, KY: Finishing Line Press. https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/have-love-by-deirdre-fagan/ - Journal Article
Fagan, D. (2017). "Kay Ryan and Poetic Play," CEA Critic. 79 (3). pp. 267-274. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/678890/summary - Book Chapter
Fagan, D. (2012). "Creative Writing Creating Community: The Power of the Personal," In P. Perry (Ed.), Beyond the Workshop. London: Kingston University Press. https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Workshop-Paul-Perry/dp/1899999523 - Journal Article
Fagan, D., Seltzer, R. (2010). "The Logic of Frost's Design," The Explicator. 68 (1). pp. 48-50. Routledge. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00144940903423170 - Journal Article
Fagan, D. (2008). "Milk-Fed Discourse and Female Identity in Sara Suleri's Meatless Days," South Asian Review. 29 (2). pp. 182-198. Taylor & Francis. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02759527.2008.11932602 - Contributor
Fagan, D. (2008). "Composing Inquiry, Projects and Methods for Investigation and Writing," In M. Marshall (Ed.), Prentice Hall. https://www.pearson.com/us/higher-education/program/Marshall-Composing-Inquiry-Methods-and-Readings-for-Investigation-and-Writing/PGM241603.html?tab=features - Book Chapter
Fagan, D. (2008). "Emily Dickinson's Unutterable Word," In H. Bloom (Ed.), Bloom's Modern Critical Views: Emily Dickinson. pp. 191-196. Langhorne, Pennsylvania: Chelsea House Publishers. https://www.amazon.com/Dickinson-Blooms-Modern-Critical-Hardcover/dp/0791096130 - Book
Fagan, D. (2007). "Critical Companion to Robert Frost: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work," New York, NY: Facts on File. http://www.infobasepublishing.com/Bookdetail.aspx?ISBN=0816061823&eBooks=0
Presentations
- Oral Presentation
Fagan, D. (Author & Presenter), Popular Culture/American Culture Assoc. Conference, “Find a Place for Me: Embracing Love and Life in the Face of Death,” Popular Culture/American Culture Assoc, Virtual, (April 14, 2022). - Oral Presentation
Fagan, D. (Author & Presenter), Midwest Modern Language Association Convention, "Universal and Individual Grief: How Unshared Experiences Unite Through Fiction," Midwest Modern Language Association, Milwaukee, WI, (November 2021). - Reading of Creative Work/Performance
Fagan, D. (Author & Presenter), Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association Conference, "Heavy Lifting," Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association, Virtual, (June 2021). - Reading of Creative Work/Performance
Fagan, D., South Atlantic Modern Language Association Conference, "Scandalous Poets! Selections from Have Love," South Atlantic Modern Language Association Conference, Virtual, (November 14, 2020). - Oral Presentation
Fagan, D. (Author), Michigan College English Association Conference, “Love, Loss, Love: Poetry of Change and Survival,” Michigan College English Association, Virtual, (September 17, 2020). - Oral Presentation
Fagan, D. (Author & Presenter), Midwest Modern Language Association Conference, "Love Begets Love: The Dual-Consciousness of Spouse/Caregiver, Lover/Nurse, Widow/Newlywed Revealed Through Poetry," Midwest Modern Language Association, Chicago, Illinois, (November 2019). - Oral Presentation
Fagan, D., South Atlantic Modern Language Association, "The Diagnosis: An ALS Journey in Poetry and Prose,” South Atlantic Modern Language Association, Atlanta, GA, (November 2019). - Reading of Creative Work/Performance
Fagan, D., Popular Culture/American Culture Association, “Rotary Dial: A Short Story of Loss and Telephone Lines,” Popular Culture/American Culture Association, Washington, D.C, (April 2019). - Oral Presentation
Fagan, D., South Atlantic Modern Language Association, "Writing to Examine, Writing to Resist: Political Illuminations through Poetry and Fiction," College English Association, Birmingham, Alabama, (November 2018). - Oral Presentation
Fagan, D. (Presenter), Venkatesh, A. (Presenter), College English Association, "Beyond the Boundaries: Creating Cross-Disciplinary Bridges and Interdisciplinary Thinking in First Year English and Math Courses," College English Association, St. Petersburg, Florida, (April 2018).