Awards

English Journal Edwin M. Hopkins Award

2023 Winner: “Conversation Pathways to Stronger Indigenous Representation in English Classrooms” (Vol. 112, No. 5, May 2023) by Renée Gokey and Wendi Sierra

Renée Gokey is an enrolled citizen of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma and holds a bachelor’s degree in cultural anthropology and Native American studies from the University of New Mexico and a master’s degree in education from George Mason University. She began her career at the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) in 2000, where she stewards American Indian collections from the Western Hemisphere and has worked in the museum education field since 2004. She designs educational programs, virtual and onsite teacher training, and learning materials and K–12 curriculum for families, students, and teachers through work on NMAI’s Native Knowledge 360° national education initiative. She is keenly interested in culturally responsive practices and advocating for tribal knowledge systems, language, and cultures.

Wendi Sierra is an associate professor of game studies in the Honors College at Texas Christian University. A researcher and designer, Sierra is interested in games as novel learning environments. Her first game, A Strong Fire, was funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and created in collaboration with her community, the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin. Her book Todd Howard: Worldbuilding in Tamriel and Beyond explores how Howard uses worldbuilding in his open-world role-playing games.

Honorable Mentions: 

“Affirming Gender Diversity Through English Education: Integration, Inquiry, And Inclusion” by Ryan Schey, Dean Bavisotto, Mollie Blackburn, Katherine Mason Cramer, Ellie Desprez, Danielle Lee, and Heather Mcentarfer

Ryan Schey is Assistant Professor of English Education at the University of Georgia. His research examines literacy and language practices and social change in schools, focusing on LGBTQIA+ youth and the educators who work with them. He recently coedited the book Bridging the Rainbow Gap: Possibilities and Tensions in Queer and Trans Studies in Education, and other recent publications can be found in journals such as Curriculum Inquiry, Equity & Excellence in Education, and Reading Research Quarterly. Before working in higher education, he taught high school English in Ohio, where he was his educator’s union co-president and school’s GSA co-advisor.

Katherine Mason Cramer (she/her) is a former middle school English teacher and current Professor of English Education at Wichita State University where she has served as program chair for middle and secondary English Education since 2010. She has published articles and book chapters on a variety of topics related to teaching English and affirming sexual and gender diversity in the ELA curriculum. Since 2017, she has served as editor of Kansas English, the award-winning peer-reviewed journal of the Kansas Association of Teachers of English. She has been a member of NCTE since 2000.

“Excavating Erased Histories as Culturally Sustaining Instruction” by Zander Nowell and Alexandria Smith

Zander Nowell worked in informal education spaces in Denver, Colorado, and taught high school English language arts in Austin, Texas, before becoming a doctoral student in Teacher Learning, Research and Practice at University of Colorado Boulder, where he also serves as an instructor and coach in the Secondary Humanities Teacher Education program. He is interested in anti-oppressive and queer approaches to pedagogies in teaching and teacher education.

Alexandria Smith, M.Ed., is an English educator whose research and teaching interests include the intersections of identity development, critical consciousness, and speculative fiction in secondary language arts classrooms. She taught for five years in Austin-area public schools, where she also served as department chair and literacy lead, and enjoyed helping her students get excited about and engaged in reading and writing. 

This award will be presented at the Secondary Section Event during the NCTE Annual Convention.