As a literary scholar and critic, my main focus areas are 20th– and 21st-century science fiction and fantasy literature. Tolkien’s my main focus, but I’ve also done work on a host of other SFF writers: Ursula K. Le Guin, Stephen R. Donaldson, H. P. Lovecraft, Glen Cook, Poul Anderson, Paul Edwin Zimmer, and others. For a more in-depth discussion of my work, see Fields of Research or my C.V..
Previous research has landed in such journals as Tolkien Studies (twice), Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts (twice), Extrapolation, Law & Literature, Gothic Studies, and more.
My teaching mixes face-to-face and online courses within the University of Arizona’s (faculty webpage) Writing Program, where I teach composition and a highly popular Gen. Ed. course entitled Nonhuman Subjects: Monsters, Ghosts, Aliens, and Others. In 2021, I was nominated as the Director of Undergraduate Studies for my department.
I’m also active in academic publishing — one of my big passions. I serve as the reviews editor for Fafnir: Nordic Journal of SFF Research. In the past, my research has been supported by a R. D. Mullen Postdoctoral Research Fellowship from Science Fiction Studies, and I’m also the awards administrator for the Mythopoeic Society. In 2020, Fafnir won World Fantasy Award in the “Special Award: Non-professional” category.
Dennis Wilson Wise 