Jeremy Bryant, MA

I once heard a Björk song that espoused, "Words are useless, especially sentences! They don't stand for anything. How can they explain how I feel?" I immediately thought, "That's a lie." Words are not only our way of expressing our inner emotions, they are a powerful tool for preserving history, standing up for what one believes to be true and pure, and a way of empowering others. Moreover, on thinking of Langston Hughes, they are a way to stand up for groups of people who are oppressed. I teach in the English Department at both Lynchburg College and Central Virginia Community College because I believe that words are power. I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to be part of my home, Lynchburg College: it is an institution that has forever changed me.

In my free time, I enjoy reading works by Cormac McCarthy, Yiyun Li, Joy Harjo, Sharon Olds, Langston Hughes, and Patricia Smith. I also write poetry and creative non-fiction. In the free time that I have left over, I enjoy helping out in community theatre.

Experience

• Lynchburg College, 2010-present
• Central Virginia Community College, 2010-present

Degrees/Background

• MA, English, Lynchburg College
• BA, Spanish and Theatre, Lynchburg College

Courses Taught

• Composition I
• Composition II
• Pre-College Writing

Research Interests

• Multicultural Literature
• Human Rights within American Literature
• African-American Poetry
• Buddhism in literature
• Kabbalah
• The politics of China

Service

• Staff member, Lynchburg College Spiritual Life Center

Associations

• Phi Kappa Phi
• Alpha Psi Omega
• Phi Sigma Iota
• Lynchburg College Hillel