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Literature and Writing Department
College of Humanities, Arts, Behavioral and Social Sciences (CHABSS)
Literature and Writing Department

October 2019

  Dr. Cynthia Headley

     Dr. Cyndi Headley

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  • What's your favorite book to read for fun?
    Jasper FForde, The Eyre Affair. A great mix of humor, nerdy literary allusions, and creativity. I do like Christopher Moore as well. Again, funny stuff.     
  • What's your favorite book to teach?
    Anything by Toni Morrison, most specifically Sula  and Song of Solomon. Also Marilyn Chin’s Revenge of the Mooncake Vixen because it is outrageous and funny, with a hint of magic realism. And yes, I like to teach Twelfth Night by Shakespeare because the student presentations are hilarious.
  • Do you have a favorite film?
    I grew up with the original Star Wars trilogy, so those films will always bring me to a magical place in my childhood. I tend to like science fiction and fantasy.
  • How do you spend your free time?
    I like to golf and be in the ocean. I used to surf a lot, but then I went to graduate school in Arizona. No surfing in the desert. So now, I just love playing in the waves. I also like to cook and try new recipes. Yep, I’m old. Golf and cooking.
  • What's your biggest literary inspiration?
    It changes. I used to think being strong meant being like Princess Leia (now General Organa). Now, I think strength comes in many forms. Lately I’ve been reading about women and girls whose lives are very different from mine—lots of immigrant stories, both non-fiction and fiction.
  • What's your cure for writer's block?
    Write something, no matter how crappy it is. Drink some wine (can I say that?) and come back to it later (maybe not right after the wine)
  • What are you working on outside of class?

    I’m currently working on a collaborative project with three colleagues regarding composition pedagogy. We teach students how to ask questions about their writing, and the only feedback they get on their writing are answers to their questions. Writing an article with three other people is slow work! On the back burner, I have a start to an article that connects Sansa, Star Wars, and maybe Sula, so I keep coming back to pop culture.

  • Fun Fact:
    I like television series more than I like film. I like long character arcs. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Battlestar Galactica, and Jane the Virgin are my top three series of all-time.