Holly’s Press Kit
To see past media coverage and university success stories, please visit my Press Page.
Introduction
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For media inquiries, please contact me directly at:
holly-burgess@outlook.com.For speaking engagements and guest lectures, please fill out the lecture form
on my website.For all other inquiries, please use my contact form page.
Professional Biographies
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shORT BIO
Holly E. Burgess is an Independent Scholar. Born and raised in Wisconsin, Holly is a researcher, educator, activist, and public speaker. Her forthcoming dissertation, “Transcribing Brutality: Violence, Martyrdom, and Legacy in Black Literature and Social Movements,” traces a literary genealogy of four generations of Black scholar-activists as they respond to the themes of state violence, lynching, martyrdom, and legacy. She is an award-winning scholar and educator who offers both public and private lectures and poetry readings. For more information on Holly E. Burgess, please visit: hollyeburgess.com.
LARGE BIO
Holly E. Burgess is an Independent Scholar. She specializes in 20th- and 21st-century African American literature, Hip Hop studies, and film studies. Born and raised in Wisconsin, Holly is of Black and Irish American descent. She is a researcher, educator, activist, poet, and public speaker.
Holly earned a BA in English and a certificate in film studies from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in 2015. In 2018, she earned her master’s degree and entered a PhD program. Her upcoming dissertation, “Transcribing Brutality: Violence, Martyrdom, and Legacy in Black Literature and Social Movements,” traces four generations of Black scholar-activists responding to themes of state violence, lynching, martyrdom, and legacy. It focuses on the activism and writings of Malcolm X, Dr. Huey P. Newton, Tupac Shakur, and Angie Thomas. Malcolm X serves as the foundational anchor of her dissertation. Holly expects to earn her PhD in Spring 2027.
Holly was a Cyril E. Smith Trust Family Fellow, the first Diversity Doctoral Fellow, and a two-time Arthur J. Schmitt Leadership Fellow. In addition to her doctoral fellowships, she has received numerous research and travel grants. Holly received the John D. McCabe Award for Excellence in Teaching for her work in first-year writing and African American literature. She has presented her research on Black activism and pedagogy at various national and local conferences. Her poems on Black thought and activism have been published in Straylight Literary Arts Magazine. Her speaking engagements have been featured on WISN 12 Milwaukee, Fox6 Milwaukee, Marquette Today, and Urban Milwaukee. Holly is an accomplished scholar and educator who offers public and private lectures and poetry readings. For more information, visit hollyeburgess.com.