High School Graduate, Sarah Jane Kerwin, Class of 2015
Sarah Jane Kerwin, a renowned literary scholar, delves into the complexities of transience and environmentalism in the literary works of the American West. Her expertise spans across travel, running, and coffee drinking, with her ideal day incorporating all three activities.
Kerwin is a specialist in ecocriticism and 20th-century American literature, teaching a diverse range of genres, including lyric poetry, essay collections, climate fiction, and film. Her book, *Coming and Going to Know a Place: Transience in Literature of the U.S. West*, explores the theme of transience – the experience of movement, migration, and impermanence – in Western literature.
In this groundbreaking work, Kerwin investigates how transient experiences shape identities and relationships to place in Western literature. She analyses how authors portray coming and going as a way of knowing and understanding the landscape, culture, and history of the U.S. West, highlighting the dynamic and often unsettled nature of life in this region.
The book offers new insights into the cultural and spatial meanings of transience in Western American writing, investigating how mobility and flux impact narratives and character development. It argues that movement and impermanence invite unique forms of environmentalism, shedding light on the interconnections among the U.S. West, settler colonialism, and the environment.
Kerwin's academic contributions extend beyond her published works. Her article, "Reimagining the West In/And the First-Year Writing Course," was published in Western American Literature in 2022. In this piece, she directly addresses place-based systemic racism through texts such as Ann Petry's The Street and Angela Flournoy's The Turner House.
In her teaching, Kerwin structures courses to encourage students to think critically about why they read what they read. She foregrounds queerly ecological voices and incorporates indigenous perspectives, teaching John Muir's nature writing alongside indigenous perspectives. Kerwin is committed to diversifying the canon and syllabus in her courses.
In summary, Sarah Jane Kerwin's work offers a fresh and thought-provoking perspective on the literary works of the American West, exploring the themes of transience, environmentalism, and the interplay between movement, identity, and place. Her commitment to diversifying the literary canon and her innovative teaching methods make her a significant figure in the field of American literature.
Sarah Jane Kerwin's extensive work in academia not only focuses on the literary complexities of the American West, but also extends to her personal lifestyle, as she promotes a passion for education-and-self-development. By incorporating diverse perspectives in her teaching, she fosters an environment where students can question their reading choices andunderstand the importance of a varied lifestyle in shaping their educational journey.
