'Bad Feminist' Author Dr. Roxane Gay Joins Occidental College

One of the country's best-known social justice scholars is now a part of the faculty at Occidental College.

Dr. Roxane Gay, a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times, previously taught at Yale and Purdue. After being courted by other institutions, Gay decided to make Occidental College her new home.

"It has a liberal arts focus which is right in line with what I do," she said.

Gay joins Occidental's Critical Theory and Social Justice Department. This spring, she will teach a course called "Writing Trauma'" where students will explore different ways of writing about the issue in fiction and nonfiction.

"I'm also thinking of ways to establish a writing center for marginalized writers, and one that focuses less on mechanics and the ways that traditional writing centers do that exist as a wonderful resource already, but that focus more on content and subject matter," Gay said.

There are other projects in the works, but for now, Gay says she's happy to be back in the classroom teaching students how to use their writing to change the world.

Through Occidental College's Presidential Professorship, Gay will teach one class every Spring semester through 2024.