ISSUED: 9 April 2025
MEDIA CONTACT: Hans Fogle
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — Dr. Heidi Hanrahan, professor of English at Shepherd University, has published her book, American Women Writers of the 19th Century, through McFarland Press.
Hanrahan’s book serves as a comprehensive guide to understanding the breadth of 19th-century women’s writing that includes the work of Louisa May Alcott, Harriet Jacobs, and Zitkala-Ša.
Hanrahan explores not only these writers and their texts but also the literary period, genres, and historical moments that shaped their work.
One of her goals for this book was to open this literary sphere up to everyone.
“I wanted to make sure the book spoke to academics, students, and those outside academia,” said Hanrahan. “19th-century American women’s literature has so much to offer for readers. They just need an introduction and a nudge.”
The writing process also enlightened Hanrahan on her career in higher education.
“As I worked on the book, I kept thinking about that relationship between the hard parts and the joy of pushing through and making progress,” she explained. “Writing the book gave me new ideas for teaching writing and talking about it with my students.”
American Women Writers of the 19th Century has already received accolades.
The book was lauded as “accessible, informative, and astonishingly comprehensive” by Dr. Karen L. Kilcup, Elizabeth Rosenthal Excellence Professor of English at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and as “an extensive analysis of nineteenth-century women’s writing” by Dr. Cari M. Carpenter, professor of English at West Virginia University.
Hanrahan earned her Ph.D. in American literature before 1900 at the University of North Carolina Greensboro and has taught at Shepherd since 2007. In 2018, she was selected as the West Virginia Professor of the Year.
Throughout her career, Hanrahan’s research and writing have been featured in various literary journals and conferences. She has been invited to a wide array of lectures, presentations, and workshops to share her expertise.
American Women Writers of the 19th Century is available for purchase through McFarland’s website.
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