Herkimer College Professor of English, Dr. Elwood-Farber, Publishes Textbook “Foundations of Writing and Literature”

Dr. Lisa Elwood-Farber, Professor of English at Herkimer College has published her first textbook, “Foundations of Writing and Literature”, with Kendall Hunt Publishing.

Of her goal and intentions for publishing this book, Dr. Elwood-Farber said “It is my hope that students use this book for not only College Writing and College Literature, but as a guide for any college course that requires written work. While I am a writing teacher, this book also covers reading and annotating a text, analyzing the text, and drafting an original idea through the practice of creative writing. Knowing how to write well means engaging with reading, writing, and research on multiple levels. This book covers the fundamentals of many college courses thereby assisting students in navigating how to learn meaningfully and with intention.”

“Students will learn how to practice writing through engagement with reading and thinking critically about a topic, a text, and its author. We will focus not only on the processes and practices of reading and writing, but also on the ways that reading and writing can help you, the student, develop your own sense of the world and how you identify in it.” Dr Elwood-Farber said of the textbook’s application in teaching.

Dr. Elwood-Farber began her tenure at the college in 2003 and has achieved numerous accomplishments including obtaining her Ph.D. in Literature and Criticism, and receiving the 2019 SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities. In her career, Dr. Elwood-Farber has participated in numerous publications and anthologies including Community College Humanities Review, Women’s Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal, Critical Insights and Outlander and Lord John as Crime Fiction: Essays on the novel, stories, and TV series. An upcoming publication, Beyond Little Women: The Secondary Works of Louisa May Alcott will include her most recent work on Louisa May Alcott.

Describing her research Dr. Elwood-Farber said, “In my research, I use race, feminist, and post-colonial theory to focus on nineteenth century American literature. My publications have appeared in several anthologies and journals, and this project is my first book-length work. I hope I have been inclusive with the reading selections I have chosen in this project, making all students feel welcome and safe in my desire to enhance the student experience at the college level.”