Emily Clark

UIW English Professor

Do you have any projects on which you’re currently working? If so, what are they?

I am currently working on a critical project which is a manuscript for a book tentatively titled “A Woman With No Country: Virginia Woolf, Nature, and the Borderlands.”

What is the inspiration/influence behind this project?

The inspiration behind this comes from Gloria Anzaldúa and what has been happening along the border for some time. I have been a scholar of Virginia Woolf for most of my academic life and I am always trying to find ways to connect her with the present day as well as my own American experiences.

What does this project mean to you?

This project means so much to me because it will be a small contribution to the (very) large ongoing conversations about the meaning of Woolf and Anzaldúa respectively as well as the issues of place, nature, immigration, and gender in our current time. 

What got you into (art, writing, theater arts, screenwriting, photography, poetry, etc.)? 

I have been writing stories or about stories since I was about 5 – to me, narratives were a way to explore, travel, and create my own magical worlds. Today I see the analysis of stories as a way to continue to learn, to explore, and to stretch my mind. 

What do you hope your audience takes away from this piece?

I hope my audience sees connections between America and England as well as the early 20th and 21ts centuries. 

Could you explain the creative process for this project?

My process is a combination of methodical and very abstract thinking. The first thing I do is think about what I would like to argue and then try to find a theory which fits that or will facilitate at least a beginning point of literary analysis and exploration. I then do extensive secondary research to see what has previously been said about my theory, my text, my author, and, often, the time period(s) I am researching. Then I begin writing in order to articulate the structure which will ground my analysis. For this project it is Gloria Anzaldúa’s writing about borders as well as Benedict Anderson’s book Imagined Communities (1983), and feminist theory. 

What are your methods for getting into a creative headspace?

Each time I sit down to write, I re-read what I have all the way through, editing as I go. This not only ensures that I have reviewed my text thoroughly, but it really helps me get back into the document and the mindset where I left off. I’ve used this process since graduate school and, while time consuming, it helps me get into the “zone” and review all of my work very thoroughly. I’m not a detail-oriented person, so it also forces me to get down into the minutiae of my work. 

What are some challenges that you faced while working on this?

The major challenge of this project is its scope; organizing and writing something as large as a book is daunting at times and requires me to break it down into manageable pieces. I think also finding consistent time to work on it is a big challenge, especially during the semester. 

What are some challenges that you have faced in your career?

I happily really haven’t faced any big challenges in my career, because I truly love all of the things that I do – working with my students, serving on committees, and learning from my amazing and interesting colleagues. I think the biggest challenge has just been trying to find balance and fit everything in that I want to do. I have to definitely schedule in time for self-care! In terms of research, though, working with Virginia Woolf is a huge challenge because so much has been written about her and she has become a very well-known icon. I am always thinking about how to make her “new” and connect her to current issues. Sometimes that is easier than others and I often combine her with other authors, like Toni Morrison or Ian McEwan.

Do you hope to contribute to a broader conversation with this piece? If so, what is the conversation?

I think the broader conversation I would like to contribute to is one in which we recognize that literature doesn’t ever occur in a vacuum and that it is always valuable, no matter how old it might be. Hearing those voices, many of which have been or were marginalized, is incredibly important in our understanding of humanity. It is amazing how the voices of the past shape who we are as individuals and how we think about our worlds and communities.