RESEARCH
TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., May 13, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- The National Humanities Center (NHC) has announced
the appointment of Martha M. F.
Kelly (NHC Fellow, 2022–23) as vice president for scholarly
programs, effective July 16,
2024.
The National Humanities Center has named
Martha M. F. Kelly from University of Missouri as VP for scholarly
programs.
Dr. Kelly comes to the Center from the University of Missouri where she has been a member
of the faculty since 2008. She is currently associate professor of
Russian, serves as the founding director of the Interdisciplinary
Migration Studies Institute, and was selected as part of the
initial cohort in the university's Faculty Institute for Inclusive
Teaching.
Dr. Kelly holds a BA with honors from Cambridge University where she studied Russian and
French, and a PhD from Stanford
University in Slavic Languages and Literatures. As a
scholar, she has focused on modern and contemporary Russian
literature. Her first monograph, Unorthodox Beauty: Russian
Modernism and Its New Religious Aesthetic (Northwestern UP,
2016) explored the ways that poets like Boris Pasternak and Anna
Akhmatova negotiated their relationship to modernity through
a reimagined relationship to Russian Orthodox Christianity. She
also served as coeditor, with Sibelan Forester, of Russian
Silver Age Poetry: Text and Contexts (Academic Studies Press,
2015), an anthology of modernist poets that situates their poetry
alongside other writings—manifestos, correspondence, public
writings, memoirs, and literary criticism. Her recent research
focuses on contemporary Russian poet, scholar, essayist, and
translator Olga Sedakova, and on her role in Russian public life.
In addition to a planned monograph, Kelly is translating a
collection of Sedakova's poems. Her translation of Sedakova's
classic collection, Old Songs (Slant Books, 2023) was
recently selected as a finalist for the PEN America Award for
Poetry in Translation. With an interest in public scholarship,
Kelly has also published essays and translations in venues like
Los Angeles Review of Books, Poetry Daily,
Michigan Quarterly, and LitHub.
Robert D. Newman, president and
director of the NHC, noted that Kelly's experience as a scholar and
administrator and her thoughtful enthusiasm for the Center's
mission distinguished her to the search committee. "Martha Kelly is a gifted scholar, and she has
demonstrated the ability to work effectively across disciplines as
an administrator," he said. "Martha was a Fellow at the Center in
2022–23, so we've had the opportunity to see the way she connects
with other scholars, both intellectually and empathetically. We are
delighted to have her join us and to help continue the Center's
reputation for nurturing advanced research in the humanities."
"I am excited to be returning to the Center in a new capacity,"
said Kelly. "During my fellowship year, I experienced what a
special place the National Humanities Center is for scholars and
appreciated the care and attention the Center staff brings to its
work. I look forward to joining them and to helping continue the
Center's vitally important work on behalf of humanities scholars
and educators."
About the National Humanities Center
The National Humanities Center is the world's only independent
institute dedicated exclusively to advanced study in all areas of
the humanities. Through its residential fellowship program, the
Center provides scholars with the resources necessary to generate
new knowledge and to further understanding of all forms of cultural
expression, social interaction, and human thought. Through its
education programs, the Center strengthens teaching on the
collegiate and pre-collegiate levels. Through public engagement
intimately linked to its scholarly and educational programs, the
Center promotes understanding of the humanities and advocates for
their foundational role in a democratic society.
Contact
Don Solomon
Director of Communications
919.406.0120
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SOURCE National Humanities Center