laceyma, Academics | Earlham College - A national liberal arts college in the Midwest
Mary Lacey
Professor of English

Mary Lacey teaches a variety of courses in English, with a particular interest in 19th and 20th century literature from England, the United States and Ireland. She has also led Earlham’s off-campus program in London.

She says of Earlham students, "they are ready to try new things, to go back and revise, to listen to unfamiliar perspectives, to share their lives, to risk failure, to help others. I love Earlham students with all my heart.”

Contact Info

Campus Mail
Drawer 125

Phone
765-983-1453

E-mail

Office
308 Carpenter Hall

Office Hours
MWF - 10:00-11:00; T - 10:00-Noon; W - 2:30-4:00; TH - 1:00-4:00

Programs/Departments

  • English
  • Women's, Gender, Sexuality Studies

Degrees

  • Ph.D., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
  • B.A., Earlham College

Selected Courses:

20th-Century Irish Literature
Creative Writing (Introductory and Advanced)
The Art of Biography
The Rise and Influence of Detective Fiction
20th-Century American Writers

I am interested in 19th and 20th century literature in England, the United States and Ireland, with special focus on literary influences.  I also read and write about religious belief as it pertains in a writer's work--looking especially at how Modern and Contemporary authors reflect on the times they live in.  I also read about Folklore as an academic discipline and try to integrate folklore and theory into my courses.

I teach at Earlham because I think it combines the best elements of a meaningful life — intellectual activity, spiritual seeking, social activism and other commitments to the health of the larger world, companionship, collaboration and competition. We are all striving to be our best selves and contribute to a better world pretty much all the time — a great rarity in American life.

Smart, industrious, curious, kind, brave, playful, earnest, patient, companionable, funny, talented, insightful, ardent, open. If I had to settle for one word, I think it would be "ready." They are ready to try new things, to go back and revise, to listen to unfamiliar perspectives, to share their lives, to risk failure, to help others. I love Earlham students with all my heart.

I taught a course on Walking in London, which had a variety of assignments asking students to get to know the city as pedestrians. They were required to take at least a few walks offered by one of the professional walking tour companies, but I also asked them to buy books of London walks and select from those options. In many cases, they walked in the footsteps of famous people, but sometimes they were just traversing new boroughs and seeing a diversity of social classes, ethnic neighborhoods and architectural elements. They were also required to keep a journal about where they walked and why, with a mapping exercise designed to highlight their evolving sense of the spaces they were moving through and any important links to London's various pasts. It was a chance to get to know one another in new ways, since some of these walks were communal.

I love to cook, to read cookbooks and mystery novels, to do crossword and ken-ken puzzles. I also love to garden, both flowers and food. I am fortunate to share my life with someone who loves a lot of the same activities. I also enjoy walking, poking around in second-hand stores, and sharing noisy dinners with my family.