A Poet Bears Witness: An Interview with M. L. Williams on the Function of Literary Studies in Troubled Times

Authors

• Leah Toth, Valdosta State UniversityFollow
• M. L. Williams, Valdosta State UniversityFollow

Abstract

Dr. M. L. (Marty) Williams is a poet and professor of literature at Valdosta State University, a comprehensive university in south-central Georgia. He is the author of Game (What Books Press 2021), Other Medicines (Redbone Chapbooks 2008) and co-editor of How Much Earth: The Fresno Poets (Roundhouse Press 2001). The focus of the interview that follows is the future of literary studies in the modern neo-liberal university, a daunting topic in 2026, in the face of what many administrators refer to as the "right-sizing" of literature programs nationwide in both the U.S. and the U.K. Anybody paying attention to the higher education landscape can easily see that the Humanities are in trouble--from declining student enrollment to the shuttering or downsizing of graduate programs at Ivy League and state flagship institutions. It is within this context that I spoke with Marty about his background as a poet and professor, as well as how he sees the discipline of literary studies, from the beginning of his academic career to the present moment.

Submitted: May 7, 2026

Accepted: June 1, 2026

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Toth, Leah, and M. L. Williams. "A Poet Bears Witness: An Interview with M. L. Williams on the Function of Literary Studies in Troubled Times." Critical Humanities 5, 1 (2026). DOI: https://doi.org/10.33470/2836-3140.1118