Awards

Paul and Kate Farmer English Journal Writing Award

2024 Winners:

“Black Teachers’ Use of Liberatory Design to Promote Literacies of Healing” (Vol. 113, No. 2, November 2023) by Jessica Lee Stovall, Lamar Timmons-Long, Thomas J. Rodney, and Taylor Hall

Jessica Lee Stovall, PhD, is an assistant professor of African American studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Her research is at the intersection of Black studies and education, and she examines the liberatory practices of Black teachers. Before starting her doctorate program, Stovall taught ELA for 11 years in the Chicagoland area. Her teaching is featured in the Starz documentary series America to Me. 

LaMar Timmons-Long is an award-winning educator and scholar from New York City. He teaches English at ATech High School in his hometown of Brooklyn, NY, and is obtaining his doctorate at NYU In English education. Timmons-Long’s passion is educating, collaborating, and learning with Black and Brown youth from urban areas. As a researcher, his interests include studying Black teachers and Black pedagogy through the lens of the speculative.

Thomas J. Rodney, a proud Brooklyn native, is a dedicated Black educator with degrees from CCNY City College and Columbia University. A Stanford Hollyhock Fellow, Rodney serves as a teacher leader at ATech High School in Brooklyn, where he teaches mathematics and software engineering. He also coaches football, fostering student growth both in and out of the classroom. Passionate about creating equitable learning opportunities, Rodney is committed to empowering the next generation through education and mentorship. 

Taylor Hall is an undergraduate student at Stanford University studying African American studies and education. Born in Atlanta, GA, her own early life experiences with culturally affirming Black education motivated her research on how a Black studies curriculum can positively impact Black identity development. Her current honors thesis focuses on high school teachers who teach African American studies to explore Black-affirming pedagogies that support learning outcomes. Upon graduation, she hopes to obtain a PhD in education or African American studies.

“Resisting the Chilling Effect of Censorship and Scripted Curriculum” (Vol. 113, No.3, January 2024) by Brooke Bianchi-Pennington and Arianna Banack

Brooke Bianchi-Pennington earned her PhD in literacy studies from the University of Tennessee in 2019 and has published articles and poetry in the Journal of Language and Literacy, The ALAN Review, the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, Study and Scrutiny, and English Journal. Bianchi-Pennington has presented at district-, state-, national- (NCTE), and international-level (ILA) conferences on topics including digital literacy, culturally responsive pedagogy, and reading engagement. She taught English in Tennessee for fourteen years, serving as English department chair, lead teacher, and mentor teacher and currently teaches at VIS @betterworld lab Experimental Education Institution in Taipei, Taiwan.

Arianna Banack is an assistant professor of English education at the University of South Florida, where she teaches courses in young adult literature, reading methods, and pedagogy. Her research interests include racial literacy, English education, and supporting teachers in incorporating critical lenses when teaching diverse young adult literature. You can find her work in English Journal, Voices from the Middle, The ALAN Review, and Journal of Curriculum Studies. Prior to becoming a professor, she taught high school English in East Hartford, Connecticut.

Honorable Mention:

“Relational Literacies for More-than-English Worlds” (Vol. 113, No. 5, May 2024) by Kelly Victor

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