Biography and education
Ph.D. in English, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2006-2011
Dissertation: This We Call Many Things: A Collection of Poems
Committee: Marilyn Kallet (director), Arthur Smith, Amy Billone
Comprehensive Exams: Poetry, 19th Century British Literature, and Specialized:
“An Inquiry into the Lyrical ‘I’: From the Romantics to the Contemporaries”
M.F.A. in Creative Writing, Emerson College, Boston, 1996-1998
Thesis: Folding and Faulting: A Collection of Poems
Committee: Gail Mazur (director), John Skoyles, David Daniel
Graduate Dean’s Award for Best Thesis
B.A. in College Scholars, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 1992-1996
Honors interdisciplinary program with focus on English, Latin American Literature, and International Relations
Dissertation: This We Call Many Things: A Collection of Poems
Committee: Marilyn Kallet (director), Arthur Smith, Amy Billone
Comprehensive Exams: Poetry, 19th Century British Literature, and Specialized:
“An Inquiry into the Lyrical ‘I’: From the Romantics to the Contemporaries”
M.F.A. in Creative Writing, Emerson College, Boston, 1996-1998
Thesis: Folding and Faulting: A Collection of Poems
Committee: Gail Mazur (director), John Skoyles, David Daniel
Graduate Dean’s Award for Best Thesis
B.A. in College Scholars, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 1992-1996
Honors interdisciplinary program with focus on English, Latin American Literature, and International Relations
Teaching Interests
Featured scholarly/creative works
- Pence, C. J. (2020). Code. New York: NY, U.S.A.: Black Lawrence Press. Retrieved from https://blacklawrencepress.com/books/code/
- Pence, C. J. (2025, June). “Character Questionnaire for a Stranger (You) Who Enters a Poem.” SWWIM. Retrieved from https://www.swwim.org/swwimeveryday/category/by+Charlotte+Pence
- Pence, C. J. (2015). Many Small Fires (p. 108). New York, NY, USA: Black Lawrence Press. Retrieved from https://blacklawrencepress.com/books/many-small-fires/
- Pence, C. J. (2012). The Branches, the Axe, the Missing (p. 28). New York, NY, USA: Black Lawrence Press. Retrieved from https://www.amazon.com/Branches-Axe-Missing-Charlotte-Pence/dp/098287667X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3MCNW4ADCVSFM&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.93MdFPi6djCaf1puLH5pxw.bqF5aMQwOkH-8pZREBu1F8sPUWRCZ4RBfFfxyXT3Oko&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+branches+the+axe+the+missing&qid=1756746051&sprefix=the+branches+the+axe+the+missing%2Caps%2C176&sr=8-1
- Pence, C. J. (2012). The Poetics of American Song Lyrics (p. 312). Jackson, MS, USA: University Press of MIssissippi. Retrieved from https://www.amazon.com/Poetics-American-Song-Lyrics-Music/dp/1617031917/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1J80WUEGMW6DF&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.IxPW_3PQokCKhX5cpWj75SI4Dt6oXG8dkC1Fd5HrPWNxGEwG0bBQTxFPEKN3ytXE.OGvTEFKGvUPoM0-VPoKCag7Wdm8MAUOcd-8Xuh9Q8ho&dib_tag=se&keywords=poetics+of+american+song+lyrics&qid=1756746834&sprefix=poetics+of+american+song+lyrics%2Caps%2C103&sr=8-1
Featured awards
- Award / Honor Recipient: Poet Laureate of Mobile Alabama, Alabama Council on the Arts. January 1, 2024 - December 31, 2025
- Award / Honor Nominee: Notable Story of the Year, Best American Short Stories. 2018 - Present
- Award / Honor Recipient: Faculty Member at Longleaf Writers Conference. May 10, 2025 - May 17, 2025
- Award / Honor Nominee: Pushcart Prize, Pushcart Prize. 2021
- Award / Honor Recipient: Phi Kappa Phi Artist of the Year, Phi Kappa Phi. January 2021 - December 2021
Featured service activities
- Volunteer
Strickland Detention Center Volunteer Creative Writing Teacher
- Volunteer
Poetry Out Loud Coach and Judge