Billy Howell

Billy Howell

Billy Howell

Associate Professor

Fiction, Memoir, Political Theory, Psychoanalysis

Billy Howell teaches composition and advanced composition. He received his M.F.A. in Fiction from the University of New Mexico in 2007 and his Ph.D. in English from Oklahoma State University in 2015. He is the author of numerous short stories and personal essays. His essay "How to Leave Your Mother" was a notable mention in the 2011 Best American Essays. 

Current Research

  • Novel & Short Fiction Collection in Progress
  • The Intersections of Modernism, Eugenics, Fascism, and Alterity
  • Utopian Spatial Politics and the Post-Industrial City
  • Subjectivity and Enjoyment in Postmodern Literatures

Selected Publications

  • "Snake Boy." Fugue 64 (2024).
  • “We Considered the Lesson Over.” Porcupine Literary (2023).
  • “The Inaugural Report of the Committee on Grief.” Columbia Journal 61 (2023).
  • “Every Word the Perfect Word.” Grub Street 72 (2023).
  • “The Proper Handling of Infestations.” Ponder Review 6.1 (2022).

Expanded Publication List

  • "Encroachment." Oklahoma Review 17.2 (2016).
  • "Fragile." Welter (2016).
  • "Remains." Rabbit Catastrophe Review 4 (2012).
  • "Everybody Has to Learn Sometime." Hazard Yet Forward (2012).
  • "How to Leave Your Mother." Florida Review 35.2 (2010).
  • "Rock Shelter." Lumina (2011).
  • “Plans.” Arroyo 2 (2010).
  • “Any Minute Now, Something Will Happen.” Blue Mesa Review 20 (2007).
  • “Resistance.” Papyrus 8 (2003).

Courses Taught

  • ENGH 101: Composition
  • ENGH 302: Advanced Composition

Education

  • Ph.D., English, Oklahoma State University, 2015
  • M.F.A., Fiction, University of New Mexico, 2007
  • B.A., English, Oklahoma State University, 2002

Recent Presentations

  • “Gately As Gravedigger: The Shakespearean Fool Refigured in David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest.” The Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at CSU and The Forest Lawn Museum Afterlives Conference, Glendale, CA, November 2023.
  • “Whose Knowledge? Tools for Research Diversity.” GMU Innovations in Teaching and Learning Conference, Fairfax, VA, September 2023.
  • “Dracula, Thief of Joy.” Mid-Atlantic Popular & American Culture Association Conference, Online, October 2022.