February 12, 2013

Ann Fox, Professor of English

For more information on Professor Fox's academic achievements, visit this site.

Q: What aspect of teaching at Davidson you most appreciate.

A: Colleagues and students who are willing to join me in exploring outside of our academic safe houses of identity. I find myself able to continue to grow as a student, teacher, intellectual, and human being because of the intellectual adventurousness and excellence of the Davidson community. It is a joy and a privilege to work here; I can't quite believe I get paid to do this!

Q: What are your current academic pursuit outside the classroom?

A: Too many scholarly projects, but who can resist exploring juicy topics? On my desk at present: my book manuscript, Fabulous Invalids, on disability in twentieth-century American drama; an essay on disability in the work of French-American artist Nikki de Saint Phalle; an essay on curating disability art exhibitions within the context of the liberal arts college; an essay on disability in contemporary American musicals...

Q: What is your favorite student event?

A: "I only went for the first time last year, but I was blown away by the time and energy Warner Hall puts into the Red and Black Ball, raising money and awareness for HIV/AIDS. It's not a topic a lot of people on this campus and beyond find it easy to talk about, and they are working hard to raise awareness and fight stigma. A shout out to Students for New Learning and GSA, as well, who work through their programming and events to fight stigma and deepen our understanding of the different multicultural constituencies on the Davidson campus.

Q: What's you favorite extracurricular activity?

A: At the encouragement of my trainer, I took up running last year at 44 and discovered I liked it! I completed four 5K races last year, and am aiming for a 10K this year. Running and TRX strength training are my current favorite down time activities, as they help me burn off the inevitable stress and worry that I inflict on myself. I'm a slow runner, but I'm persistent!

A: What courses have you created?

A" "Representations of HIV/AIDS" (with Dr. Dave Wessner); "Disability and Literature;" "Disability and Theatre;" "American Feminist Theatre;" "Nineteenth-Century Drama;" "Contemporary Theatre;" "Contemporary Multicultural American Drama;" "Queer Performance and/as Activism" (with Dr. Sharon Green); "Extraordinary Bodies" (a first-year writing course).

Q: Do you have a favorite non-academic book?

A: Hands down: Jane Eyre! I first read it when I was fourteen, and have re-read it almost every year since. I continually marvel that it always yields something new, and that a woman writing in the early nineteenth century could somehow write a work that so wonderfully anticipates much of what it means to be a woman today, even in our much more modern society. I'm a total Eyrehead! I've even made a pilgrimage to the Bronte family parsonage in Yorkshire, and worshipped the handwritten manuscript I was able to see in the British Library. My first runner-up is On Beauty by Zadie Smith. Not for its satire of academia (though that is delicious), but more so for its appreciation of all kinds of bodies and beauty, and its gentle understanding of how we can mess up and still forge reconnections with self and others.

Q: Do you have hidden talents?

A: Well, I'm afraid the customary answers won't do here. I'm not much of a cook or a gardener. But I have a good eye for style and design (as my house's lime green door, orange walls, and my unconventional eyewear hopefully suggest), can talk pop culture till the cows come home, and love to dance till my feet hurt. I spend a lot of my time traveling to give talks and visit family or friends. I think I'm good at being a student of the world and maintaining my connections to my wide-scattered family and family of friends.

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