Sarah Ensor just began her first term at Portland State as an assistant professor in the Department of English.
Ensor received her doctorate from Cornell University and focuses mainly on American literature from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with an emphasis on gender studies and ecocriticism.
This term, Ensor is teaching a 200-level class called “Survey of American Literature from 1865 to the Present” and a 400/500 split class called “American Women Writers,” mostly full of seniors and graduate students.
Her introduction to this topic came during her undergraduate work in Michigan. While there, she attended what is now called the New England Literature Program—a six-week summer camp where 40 students and 12 faculty and staff members live together, read New England literature and write.
In grad school, Ensor had the opportunity to go back and be a teacher for the camp. She now incorporates readings from the program into her teaching curriculum.
“Through teaching there, I remembered how enlightening I found those texts and how exciting I found them, both to teach and to think about,” Ensor said. “So I shifted my area in grad school to allow me to think about the kinds of questions that had preoccupied me there as a student and a teacher.
Ensor is currently working on a book called The Spinster Ecology. It looks at late 19th century American literature and how the spinster figure evolved to become incorporated into politics and society.
Ensor said even though it’s a cliche piece of advice, she encourages students to find something they’re passionate about and follow it.
“I think I’m always happiest when I’m asking and answering questions that I’m generally interested in, and I can tell that my students are happiest when they are asking and answering questions that interest them,” Ensor said. “Whatever your passion is, trust your gut and follow that. Never be afraid to ask for advice, and never be afraid to say you don’t know something.”
Outside of academics, Ensor enjoys the outdoors and loves sports. Having grown up in the Ann Arbor area, she’s a Michigan fan by default. But she also loves the NBA and will watch almost anything.
Ensor loves the opportunity to be in Portland. Coming from Cornell, which is located in a small town in upstate New York, she sees Portland as a great place to meet new people and have the chance to do new things.
“I’m always excited to leave Neuberger, where I teach, and walk out into the street and see new people and new things going on,” Ensor said.