I am a Lecturer in English at Clemson University. I previously taught at Auburn University, and I received my Ph.D. in English from Southern Methodist University.
My research considers the politics of running away, in American literature and culture broadly—in poetry, fiction, film, video games, graffiti, and elsewhere—and my peer-reviewed scholarship covers the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries.
All of my reading and writing catalyzes my teaching, which remains the vital heat of my intellectual life. From 2011-2021, I helped run the small indie journal of poetry and short fiction, S/WORD, and I write poetry. Outside of that, I like soccer, hiking, and running (though typically not away from anything in particular).
rsmckel@clemson.edu