Associate Professor of English
Director of Senior Symposium
434.544.8275
salmon@lynchburg.edu
Carnegie Hall 224
Education
- Certificate of Theological Study – School of Theology, Sewanee, 2017
- PhD in Social, Political, Ethical, and Cultural Thought – Virginia Tech, 2016
- MEd in English Education – University of Lynchburg, 1993
- AB in Communication-Sociology – Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, 1985
Courses Taught
I currently teach English 123, College Writing; English 223, Academic Writing; and DELL 401, Black Heroes: How Did Harlem Get to Lynchburg? I serve as the editor-in-chief of the Agora, a journal for undergraduate writing.
I created English 223, Academic Writing, so I love to teach the class! Using real-world writing situations, assignments reinforce students’ writing and research skills. The culminating project is an article in each student’s chosen field of study that is written for publication in an academic journal. The class is also of benefit to those who are working on Honors Theses or long-term research projects.
The DELL capstone class invites an integrative, interdisciplinary exploration of Harlem-Renaissance luminaries and aims to discover and amplify the stories of some of Lynchburg’s residents. Students will develop ways to share the stories of these heroes—both ordinary and extraordinary—highlighting Lynchburg’s Pierce Street neighborhood, a historic district that was home to such notables as Anne Spencer, Walter “Whirlwind” Johnson, and Chauncey Spencer.
Research Interests
My background and academic pursuits are interdisciplinary. Minority responses to oppression are a focal point of my scholarly work. My dissertation utilized library archives and oral histories to explore the unintended consequences of the racial integration of the Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia. Another long-standing interest and scholarly focus is Lynchburg’s Harlem-Renaissance poet, Anne Spencer. I served on the Anne Spencer House and Garden Museum Board for many years and have integrated service learning (and primary source research!) into my English classes as we explore the life, writings, and historical time period of this hero whose poetry runs through my veins.
