Dr. Elleza Kelley

Biography

Elleza Kelley is an Assistant Professor at Yale University, specializing in English and Black Studies. She earned her Ph.D. from Columbia University in 2021, following an M.A. from the same institution in 2016, and a B.A. from Wesleyan University in 2012. Kelley's research focuses on African American literature, with a particular emphasis on black geographies and radical spatial practices within the United States. Her current book project, 'Flight Lines: Poetics of Black Space,' examines the intersections of African American literature and visual art, indexing black spatial thought while exploring experimentations in form, genre, and media. Kelley also sits on the editorial board of 'Souls: A Critical Journal of Black Politics, Culture, and Society' and co-edits the Cambridge University Press Element Series on Urban Literary and Cultural Studies. At Yale, she teaches a variety of courses including Black Geographies and American Literature, as well as a course titled 'Counternarratives,' which delves into contemporary black historical fiction through archival material.

Research Interests