Payton Conlin PhD Student - Literature

Payton Conlin is a PhD student studying American literature with a concentration in Southern Gothic fiction. She is also a graduate part-time instructor teaching first-year writing courses. Her research focuses on shifts within Southern Gothic literature since the American Civil War and how its representational qualities have changed over-time by following the etymology of the work "decadence."  

Education

MFA in Creative Writing, Emerson College, 2025

BFA in English, Texas Tech University 2022

Creative Writing Publications

"Mourning Meeting." The Other Magazine, vol. 39, 9 June 2025.

"Dad-in-a-Bag." Infrarrealista Review, April 2025.

"When Skies Are Gray." Harbinger: A Journal of Art and Literature, edited by Cecilia Smith, Texas Tech University, 2020.

Scholarly Publications and Conference Presentations

"Reteaching Trust: The Hidden Consequences of Censorship in the Classroom." Presented at the 2027 Academic Freedom without Tenure Roundtable, Modern Language Association Conference, Los Angeles, CA, January 2027.

"Grief Immortal: The Role of the Vampire in Ryan Coogler’s Sinners." Presented at the Society for the Study of the American Gothic, "American Nightmares II: Return to Salem," Salem, MA, March 2026.

"Reconsidering The Vampiric Other: The Role of the Southern Gothic Vampire in Contemporary Film." Presented at the Southwest Popular/American Culture Association, 47th SWPACA Annual Conference, Albuquerque, NM, February 2026.