Elizabeth (Liz) Cunningham
liz.cunningham@edmonds.edu
Ph.D English Literature with Creative Dissertation, University of Georgia; MFA Creative
Writing, Iowa Writers’ Workshop; BA English, University of Southern Florida
Classes usually taught: ENGL& 101: Comp I, ENGL&102: Comp II, ENGL 151/152: Writing Poetry
I was born in South Carolina and grew up in Italy and Florida. I hold a B.A. in English
from the University of South Florida, an M.F.A. in Creative from the Iowa Writers’
Workshop, and a Ph.D. in English Literature with Creative Dissertation from the University
of Georgia, with specializations in 20th Century American, British, and Irish Literature,
Poetry and Poetics, and the Literature of Trauma. I am the author of several books
of poetry, most recently the hybrid poetry-photography collection Field Notes (River
River Books, 2025).
In each of my classes, students and I consider both the theoretical and the experiential
as equally valid sites of inquiry. When teaching English Composition, for example,
we emphasize the working definition of composition as an “arrangement of parts”—as
a discipline situated within nuanced and unique contexts that deserve careful critical
analysis. By navigating these critical-creative-social connections, we deepen our
awareness of writing as existing in conversation both with others’ work and with the
diverse contexts in which those texts are produced. In composition, creative writing,
and literature courses, I encourage students to question static notions of language
and perspective while providing them with the critical repertoires and interpretive
skills fundamental to academic and personal growth.
Outside of the classroom, I enjoy music, writing, reading, photography, and exploring
the wild and various ecotones of the Pacific Northwest.