Associate Professor of English
Director of Senior Symposium
434.544.8275
salmon@lynchburg.edu
Carnegie Hall 224
Experience
Before coming to University of Lynchburg in 1997, I was a high school teacher. I have taught classes in composition, literature, technical writing, and creative writing at University of Lynchburg, Central Virginia Community College and the Virginia Military Institute. In addition to teaching, I have worked as a writing tutor and consultant at VMI and Washington and Lee University. I am also an Episcopal priest and active in the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia.
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
Teaching Areas
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.
Professional/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.
Publications
- Paved with Good Intentions: The Road to Racial Unity in the Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia. Doctoral Dissertation. Virginia Tech, 2016.
- Anne Spencer: “Ah, how poets sing and die!”: A collection of her poems with commentary by Nina V. Salmon. Lynchburg, VA: Warwick House, 2001.
Textbook Chapter
- “Search and Service: Developing Community Resources at the Anne Spencer House and Garden.” Community-Based Learning and the Work of Literature. Ed. Susan Danielson and Ann Marie Fallon. Bolton, MA: Anker, 2007.
Entry in VFH online encyclopedia:
- “Anne Spencer.” Virginia Online Encyclopedia. Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, 2008.
Creative Non-Fiction
- “Gift of Life” and “I’m Special” both entries in Lifting Women’s Voices. Ed. Margaret Rose, Jeanne Person, Abagail Nelson, and Jenny Te Paa. Morehouse Publishing, 2009.
Awards
- Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities, Humanitarian Award, 2022
- T. A. Abbott Award for Faculty Excellence, Higher Education and Leadership Ministries, 2020
- Phi Kappa Phi, Love of Learning Award, 2013
- Delta Kappa Gamma, International Scholarship recipient, 2012
- Elsie Ervin Bock Award for Excellence in Citizenship, 2010
Selected Conference Presentations and Invited Lectures
A complete listing may be viewed here (PDF).
- “Writing Local: The Benefit of Community Resources and Multidisciplinary Writing Projects,” International Writing Across the Curriculum Conference, Auburn, AL, June 2018
- “Muted Voices, Shadowed Memories: A Story of Segregation and Integration in Black Episcopal Churches as Excavated Re-Told, and Dis-Remembered,” Primary Source: An Interdisciplinary Conference on Memory and Identity, Fortbonne University, St. Louis, MO, May 2018
- “Desegregation as Caesura: The Episcopal Church in Southwestern Virginia,” Crisis and Transformations: Rethinking Knowledges, Histories, Identities, Technologies, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, April 2016
- “Ah, How Poets Sing and Die!” Stories and poems with Shaun Spencer Hester, Friends of the Handley Regional Library, Winchester, VA, April 2015
- “Bishop Marmion and the Integration of the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia,” Phoebe Needles Conference Center, “Saturdays at the Center” Series, September 2014
- “Paved With Good Intentions: A Dance Along the Path to Racial Unity in the Episcopal Church,” Border Crossings: Transnationality, Citizenship, and Identity in Theory and Practice, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, March 2013
- “Anne Spencer: Lynchburg’s Harlem-Renaissance Poet and ‘Agitator,'” The American Association of University Women, Lynchburg, VA, January 2010
- “The Life and Poetry of Anne Spencer” The Poetry Society of Virginia, Williamsburg, VA, May 2007
Personal Information
My husband Jerry taught high school history for many years at Brookville, E.C. Glass, and Holy Cross. We have three sons, Marshall, Patrick, and Harris and a standard poodle, Grace. I can — and sometimes do — ride a unicycle. As a priest, I serve congregations on a short-term, part-time basis. My worlds often overlap in wonderful ways, and I love that I get to work in an encouraging, supportive environment with remarkable people.