The English Department is happy to welcome our new colleague Erica Hussey to UNC Charlotte.

The UNC Charlotte English Department is very happy to announce the recent appointment of Erica Hussey as a tenure-line Assistant Professor specializing in Creative Writing. Writing under the name E.E. Hussey, Professor Hussey was born in the Philippines, raised in both Japan and Italy, and has lived in several US cities. Professor Hussey is a rising voice in contemporary literature. Her debut novel, Hafa Adai, is forthcoming with Curbstone Books/Northwestern University Press. Set mostly in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the novel examines themes of grief and resilience through the relationship between two half-sisters. Along the way, it also explores Filipino death superstitions, anatomizes the mixedrace experience, and investigates the environmental effects of the continued US military presence in the Mariana Islands. Her forthcoming story collection, Spider Fight, lays out intersections of myth, science, and environment, juxtaposing nonhuman and human experiences. Her fiction has appeared in prestigious journals like The Kenyon Review, Hayden’s Ferry Review, and PANK Magazine. Her nonfiction piece “Monstrum” was recognized as a notable essay in Best American Essays 2020.

Professor Hussey holds multiple degrees. She is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where she earned a BA in English with a minor in Anthropology in 2008. She later completed an MA in Science Writing through the Johns Hopkins Science Writing Program in 2017. She subsequently earned her MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Alabama in 2021. While working on her MFA, she received the prestigious Buford Boone Fellowship in 2020. Over the past few years, she has received significant support for her literary projects, including scholarships and grants from institutions such as the Bread Loaf Environmental Writers’ Conference, the Vermont Studio Center, Tin House, and the Virginia G. Piper Center. Prior to her arriving at UNC Charlotte, Professor Hussey worked as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Sewanee: The University of the South during the 2024–2025 academic year. In her teaching she prioritizes curiosity, encouraging students to employ “fearlessness and play” in their writing, while at the same time emphasizing the exploration of intersections between myth, environment, and science. Over the past decade, she has taught composition courses, fiction writing workshops at different levels, creative-writing capstone courses, and classes on Science writing.

If you are interested in learning more about Professor Hussey’s career and work, check out her website at eehussey.com.