Brenna Clarke Gray

B.A. English ’05, M.A. English ’06

Brenna Clarke Gray further pursued her education and attended the University of New Brunswick, where she was a Canada Graduate Scholar. She finished her Ph.D. in English with Dr. Jennifer Andrews in 2010.

She was hired into the English department at Douglas College, a two-year university transfer public college, in 2010. In addition to being a full-time faculty member, she is also the Associate of Arts Coordinator and Associate Director of the Digital Cultures Lab.

Academically, she publishes on Canadian comic books, visual culture, and Canadian literature. Non-academically, she is a contributor at Book Riot and Panels. Through that world, she’s had the opportunity to give keynote talks, speak on panels at conventions, and do media interviews about book culture and the state of reading in popular culture.

How has your Carleton English degree informed your professional and/or creative path?

Studying English at Carleton trained me to approach texts critically, and to see the whole world as texts. Whether I’m writing about data privacy and academic integrity issues or problem-solving a technical issue, I’m thinking as an English scholar first. The unpretentious approach to English Literature at Carleton made me open to the range of possibilities that come with an English degree, and I’m grateful for the breadth of scope the program offered me.

Why Carleton? What specific experiences or opportunities did you benefit from while studying English at Carleton?

While studying English at Carleton, I worked for the Centre for Initiatives in Education where I learned teaching practices and a pedagogical approach that still inform my work to this day. Having real-world classroom experience from an early point in my academic career has set me apart in my professional journey.