Mississippi State English Professor Robert West has written “A Clear Eye,” a collection of 59 poems offering reflections on nature and human experience.

“There are so many reasons I chose Mississippi State University for college. Their psychology program is consistently ranked #1 in Mississippi, and their research department is outstanding, said Destany Taylor, who currently lives in Madison, Miss. “Since I knew I wanted to stay in-state, joining the best program was important to me. The campus itself is vibrant, diverse, and incredibly welcoming—which made the decision even easier. In the end, becoming a Bulldog just made sense.”

Mississippi State faculty member Christie Collins’ new co-edited anthology features essays by 17 authors and educators living with disabilities, chronic illnesses and neurodivergence, helping address a longstanding gap in creative writing scholarship. Collins, an English department lecturer, and co-editor Saul Lemerond, an assistant professor of English at Hanover College in Indiana, have compiled “Divergent Writers: Disability, Illness, Neurodivergence, and Ableism in Creative Writing.” Released this spring by Bloomsbury Publishing, the collection brings together contributors from five countries who share firsthand experiences navigating ableism and bias in the creative writing profession.