Paula K. Garrett, Ph.D.

My Story

I came to Warren Wilson in 2007 because the College’s careful blend of sacred and funky speaks to me. I currently serve as the Dean of the College, but I still teach courses in American literature and in writing. My favorite courses are in 19th Century American Literature and in Contemporary Southern Novels although I also genuinely love teaching first-year seminar. I have varied research interests: I have written extensively on Grace Greenwood, the first female correspondent for the New York Times and a popular culture icon of the nineteenth century, and on William Wells Brown, considered the first African American novelist; I have written as part of a team studying patient safety and medication errors; I write with a law professor about the laws governing artificial insemination, particularly in same-sex relationships; and I write op-eds on current issues, particularly LGBTQ rights, contemporary religion, and politics.