University Distinguished Professor Camille Dungy is well-known in the English department at Colorado State University. Along with Dungy’s handful of publications, her experience in environmental writing, editing, podcasting and directing CSU’s creative writing program makes her an influential presence on campus.
It is this well-rounded experience that makes Dungy a magnetic force among community members. In fact, for some students and faculty, Dungy is the reason they attend and teach at CSU.
“Camille is part of why I came to the job,” said Sarah Perry, an assistant professor of creative writing at CSU. “We’re reading admissions applications right now, and even in creative nonfiction, people mentioned Camille. … So she’s a big draw for the program, for students and for participation.”
“I just want more love, more true care for other people and other living beings on this planet and more ways of understanding how we’re all interconnected and dependent on each other for our mutual, positive flourishing. I want my work to be part of that effort to increase the expansiveness of love and care in our society.” -Camille Dungy, university distinguished professor
One of the reasons individuals are so drawn to Dungy is the unique perspective she brings to literature. Dungy’s knowledge makes her a valuable asset to the students around her.
“From the very beginning, I feel like the way that she was commenting on my work and talking about it and reframing it for me has changed a lot of how I’ve thought about it,” said Linnea Harris, a creative writing graduate student and Dungy’s assistant.
Dungy’s popularity can also be attributed to her unwavering passion to help others, whether through her teaching, advising or written work.
“The common denominator of all of these moments is that other people read the work that I’m doing and are moved by it, and maybe even changed or find themselves growing or understanding something better because of something that I wrote or edited, shared, gathered,” Dungy said. “To me, (that) is the most rewarding thing.”
Dungy is largely known for her writing — likely another reason individuals are drawn to study under her. More specifically, Dungy has been recognized for her expertise when writing about concepts like landscape and culture.
“She seems like one of the people that is at the forefront of how we’re thinking about environmental writing now, especially in a creative nonfiction sense, like, writing about personal connection with landscapes, which is a lot of what ‘Soil’ is about,” Harris said.
Dungy’s most recent publication, “Soil: The Story of A Black Mother’s Garden,” delves into the connections between Dungy’s garden and the cultural and historical elements of the city surrounding her.
“I was really interested in paying careful attention to what was happening right around me, starting super close to home and then expanding out to think about how the work that I was doing at home and the changes that I was putting into my very local space was influenced, and the larger cultural and historical questions that were rolling around all of us at that point,” Dungy said.
Harris elaborated on Dungy’s writing style, describing it as a unique blend between her poeticism and her skillful capacity to link concepts.
“I remember just sort of being so struck by the way that she was able to connect different things that I didn’t think were connected,” Harris said. “Because she’s a poet, too, she is able to write in a way that’s so lyrical and beautiful while also talking about really important things.”
Dungy fits into many different hats at CSU. Instead of assuming one role, Dungy welcomes a combination of different titles.
“To me, (she) feels like a really nice blend of a mentor but also a friend and a colleague,” Perry said. “She is more experienced as an academic and (in) publishing than me, but I don’t feel a hierarchy there.”
However, Dungy’s influence stretches beyond just the CSU community. Her work covers important trends that can be seen in societies across the globe.
“At CSU, she is such a force within our department, and we all know her so well, but I hope more people know her and the impact of her work in Colorado and in the world,” Harris said.
Through her work, Dungy hopes to leave a positive impact on those around her.
“I just want more love, more true care for other people and other living beings on this planet and more ways of understanding how we’re all interconnected and dependent on each other for our mutual, positive flourishing,” Dungy said. “I want my work to be part of that effort to increase the expansiveness of love and care in our society.”
Reach McKenna Van Voris at life@collegian.com or on Twitter @CSUCollegian.
