Vanessa Diana

Biography

Dr. Vanessa Holford Diana is a Professor of English at Westfield State University.  Her research explores the connection between writing instruction and civic engagement as well as how American writers of color craft literary narratives that explore the ideals of a pluralist democracy. Her writing courses often immerse students in the local community for civic engagement projects, and her courses in multicultural American literature introduce students to diverse literary voices within the U.S.  Dr. Diana also contributes to the Honors Program at WSU, teaching Honors courses regularly, serving on the Honors Advisory Committee, and supporting students in their Commonwealth Honors Projects.

 

Education

  • Ph.D in English, with distinction, American Literature; Arizona State University. 2000   

    Dissertation: Narrative Patternings of Resistance: Six American 

    Women Writers of Color at the Turn of the Last Century 

  • M.A. in English summa cum laude; Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA. 1991-1993

  • Summer Program in Modern British Novel; Birkbeck College, University of London. 1991

  • B.S. in Secondary Education / English  summa cum laude. 1988-1990       

    East Stroudsburg University, East Stroudsburg, PA. 

Courses Taught

  • “Discover Westfield” (WISE: First-Year Journey)

  • Shinrin Yoku (Forest Bathing) in Stanley Park (WISE: Wellbeing)

  • English Composition (WISE: Rhetoric and Inquiry)

  • Indigenous American Stories (WISE: Power and Perspectives)

  • Black American Stories (WISE: Power and Perspectives)

  • Indigenous Artists Making Change (WISE: Exploring Complex Issues Anchored in the Arts and Humanities)

Publications

“How City as Text Pedagogy can Catalyze Participatory Citizenship in First Year Students” co –authored with Dristi Neog. Under review with College English September 2025.

“Susan Power” The Encyclopedia of American Fiction 1980-2020 Edited by Patrick O’Donnell. Wiley Press, 2020.

“Asian American Literature and the Fiction of Sui Sin Far” Gale Researcher Guide Ebook, July 2018.

Review of Siobhan Senier, ed. Dawnland Voices: An Anthology of Indigenous Writing from New England (2014). Massachusetts Historical Journal 2023.

Professional Service

  • Westfield State Foundation Scholarship Committee
  • Westfield State Foundation Fundraising Committee
  • English Department Literature Committee (Chair)
  • English Department Curriculum Committee
  • English Department Recruiting Committee
  • English Education Committee
  • Honors Advisory Committee
  • Submissions Reviewer, Studies in American Indian Literatures

Volunteerism

Founder and Student Volunteer Coordinator: Run Stanley 5k trail run to benefit Stanley Park Wildlife Sanctuary.

Headshot of Dr. Vanessa Diana.