Wendy Williams
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Mail code: 2780Campus: Poly
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Dr. Wendy R. Williams, Associate Professor of English, is a scholar of English education and visual/multimodal narrative. She has published in leading journals and volumes, and her work has been supported with funding from National Endowment for the Humanities, Southern Poverty Law Center, and Arizona Humanities.
She is the author of the book, Listen to the Poet: Writing, Performance, and Community in Youth Spoken Word Poetry (2018, University of Massachusetts), which explores the literacy practices of a diverse group of youth poets in Arizona through a community-of-practice lens. Her second book (submitted and under contract with NCTE, 307 pages), presents a framework for teaching writing that is based on findings from a study of a youth writing program. Currently, she is working on her third book (data collected), which is on visual narrative forms, analysis strategies, and composition techniques. She also has plans to edit a collection on visual storytelling.
Dr. Williams is co-chair of the NCTE/ELATE Commission on Arts and Literacies, a national community of scholars and educators committed to advancing arts education. She has served as the Teaching Creative Writing column editor for English Journal, board member for the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, and chair of NCTE's Achievement Awards in Writing. She has reviewed manuscripts for a variety of journals, including Research in the Teaching of English.
At ASU, Professor Williams is associate chair of ASU’s Curriculum and Academic Programs Committee (CAPC). She previously served as chair of CISA’s Awards Committee, and her community outreach on behalf of ASU includes founding and directing both the Young Authors' Studio program (2017-2023) and Sparky Slam poetry events (2017-2019).
Professor Williams designed CISA's Writing Certificate, which includes a visual/multimodal storytelling component. She has created several new graduate courses for CISA’s MA Narrative Studies degree (Narrative Research Methods, Visual Narratives, Mentoring Youth Writers Internship) and undergraduate courses for CISA’s BA English degree (Studio Ghibli Films, Visual Narratives, Critical Approaches to Children's Literature, Writing about Food, Mentoring Youth Writers Internship). In addition, she teaches Literature for Young Adults, Methods of Teaching English Composition, and Methods of Teaching English Language. Prior to becoming a professor, she taught middle school and high school English for nine years.
Dr. Williams also works in food studies. She is examining the use of food writing in education and is developing courses that use AR/VR to challenge students to think about food studies in new ways. Thus coming year, she will be editing a volume of essays exploring food studies in schools. Dr. Williams is a culinary school graduate who cooked with Chef Gregory Casale at Gregory’s World Bistro, wrote for Arizona Food and Lifestyles magazine, and worked in event planning for Hilton. She is also a certified Maricopa County Master Gardener who is attempting to grow hundreds of varieties of edible plants from seed in her home garden.
Outside of her work as a professor, she plays cello, studying under the direction of Dr. Xue Chen. Previously, she studied, taught, and competed in Shotokan karate and was invited to join the U.S. team (ISKF/JKA).
Ph.D. Curriculum and Instruction: English Education, Arizona State University (2015)
M.Ed. Secondary Education: English, Arizona State University (2008)
B.A.E. Secondary Education: English, Arizona State University (1998), Summa cum laude
A.O.S. Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts, Scottsdale Culinary Institute (2001), Graduated with honors
Books (Monographs)
Williams, W.R. (data analysis in progress). Visual Storytellers.
Williams, W.R. (under contract, 307 pages). Mentoring Youth Writers: How to Help Students Thrive in the Writing Classroom and Beyond. National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Press.
Williams, W.R. (2018). Listen to the Poet: Writing, Performance, and Community in Youth Spoken Word Poetry. University of Massachusetts Press.
Articles and Chapters
Williams, W.R. (in press). “Talking Back to the Bard through Words, Visuals, Gestures, and Sounds: Multimodal Assignments that Honor Students’ Voices and Cultures.” In L. Turchi (Ed.), Design and Discomfort in Anti-Racist Shakespeare Classrooms. Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (ACMRS) Press.
Williams, W.R. (2024). “Using Visual Storytelling to Support Democratic Approaches to Literacy Instruction.” In P. Hartman & J. Spanke (Eds.), Cultivating Democratic Literacy through the Arts: Guiding Preservice Teachers Towards Innovative Learning Spaces in ELA Classrooms, pp. 55-70. Information Age Publishing.
Williams, W.R. (2022). "Expanding What Counts as Writing: Animation in English Language Arts." English Journal, 111(6): 78-80.
Williams, W.R. (2021). "Reflections on Writing and Teaching: A Study of Five Writing Contest Winners." English Teaching: Practice and Critique, 20(3): 385-397.
Williams, W.R. & ByBee, K.D. (2021). “Visions of the City: Examining Urban Landscapes in Shaun Tan’s Visual Narratives.” In L. Nicosia and J. Nicosia (Eds.), Examining Images of Urban Life: A Resource for Teachers of Young Adult Literature, pp. 151-163. Myers Education Press.
Williams, W.R. (2020). “Examining Studio Ghibli’s Animated Films: A Study of Students’ Viewing Paths and Creative Projects.” Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 63(6): 639-650.
Williams, W.R. (2020). “Taking Risks with Form.” English Journal, 110(2), 104-106.
Williams, W.R. (2019). “Attending to the Visual Aspects of Visual Storytelling: Using Art and Design Concepts to Interpret and Compose Narratives with Images.” Journal of Visual Literacy, 38(1-2): 66-82.
Williams, W.R. (2019). “Exploring the Art of Spoken Word Poetry with Students: A Sample Unit.” In K. Macro and M. Zoss (Eds.), A Symphony of Possibilities: A Handbook for Arts Integration in Secondary English Classrooms, pp. 36-50. National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Press.
Williams, W.R. (2018). “Attempting Arts Integration: Secondary Teachers’ Experiences with Spoken Word Poetry.” Pedagogies: An International Journal, 13(2), 92-105.
Williams, W.R. & Blasingame, J. (2017). “Celebrating All Voices: Assuring Diversity in Young Adult Literature.” In J.A. Hayn, J.S. Kaplan, and K.R. Clemmons (Eds.), Teaching Young Adult Literature Today: Insights, Considerations, and Perspectives for the Classroom Teacher, 2nd ed., pp. 223-250. Rowman and Littlefield.
Williams, W.R. (2017). “Learning from a Teacher-Machine: Terror and Implanted Knowledge in The Prisoner.” In M.M. Dalton and L.R. Linder (Eds.), Screen Lessons: What We Have Learned from Teachers on Television and in the Movies, pp. 59-66. Peter Lang.
Williams, W.R. (2015). “Every Voice Matters: Spoken Word Poetry in and outside of School.” English Journal, 104(4), 77-82.
Williams, W.R. (2014). “New Technologies, New Possibilities for the Arts and Multimodality in English Language Arts.” Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education (CITE English Language Arts), 14(4), 327-355.
Williams, W.R. (2014). “Art Does Align with Common Core State Standards.” Language Arts, 92(2), 120.
Williams, W.R. (2013). “‘Untold Stories to Tell’: Making Space for the Voices of Youth Songwriters.” Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 56(5), 369-379.
Editorials
Williams, W.R., & Moulton, F. (2023). "The Wonderful World of Manga." YA Wednesday. http://www.drbickmoresyawednesday.com/weekly-posts/the-wonderful-world-of-manga
Williams, W.R. (2021). “Amanda Gorman’s Poetry Shows Why Spoken Word Belongs in School.” The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/amanda-gormans-poetry-shows-why-spoken-word-belongs-in-school-153838
Williams, W.R., & Reid, S.F. (2019). “Young Authors’ Studio: Writing and Learning Together in Arizona.” Literacy Today, 38-39.
Williams, W.R. (2018) “Innovation and Artistry in Young Adult Literature.” YA Wednesday.
Williams, W.R. (2013). “What’s Cooking in Your YA Literature Class?” In A.P. Nilsen, et al. (Eds.), Literature for Today’s Young Adults (9th ed.), pp. 378-379. Pearson.
Courses
2024 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| ENG 499 | Individualized Instruction |
| ENG 520 | Visual Narratives |
| ENG 466 | Studies in International Film |
| ENG 492 | Honors Directed Study |
| ENG 584 | Internship |
2024 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| ENG 466 | Studies in International Film |
| ENG 446 | Visual Narratives |
2023 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| ENG 471 | Literature for Young Adults |
| ENG 505 | Narrative Research Methods |
2023 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| ENG 597 | Graduate Capstone Seminar |
| ENG 466 | Studies in International Film |
| ENG 394 | Special Topics |
2022 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| ENG 446 | Visual Narratives |
| ENG 520 | Visual Narratives |
| ENG 584 | Internship |
2022 Summer
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| ENG 466 | Studies in International Film |
2022 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| ENG 505 | Narrative Research Methods |
| ENG 473 | Crit Approaches Children's Lit |
2021 Summer
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| ENG 466 | Studies in International Film |
| ENG 466 | Studies in International Film |
| ENG 466 | Studies in International Film |
2021 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| ENG 466 | Studies in International Film |
| ENG 484 | Internship |
| ENG 584 | Internship |
| ENG 471 | Literature for Young Adults |
| ENG 584 | Internship |
2020 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| ENG 446 | Visual Narratives |
| ENG 590 | Reading and Conference |
| ENG 520 | Visual Narratives |
2020 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| ENG 466 | Studies in International Film |
| ENG 484 | Internship |
| ENG 584 | Internship |
2019 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| ENG 505 | Narrative Research Methods |
| ENG 446 | Visual Narratives |