Mark West

Education

• Ph.D. Bowling Green State University, 1983
• M.E.A.S. University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, 1980
• B.A. Franconia College, 1975

Areas of Interest

• Children’s literature; Children’s popular culture; History of childhood

Selected Publications

Books:

• M. I. West and Kathy Merlock Jackson, eds.  Shapers of American Childhood:  Essays on Visionaries from L. Frank Baum to Dr. Spock to J. K. Rowling.  Jefferson, NC:  McFarland, 2018.
• M. I. West and Kathy Merlock Jackson, eds. Walt Disney, from Reader to Storyteller: Essays on the Literary Inspirations. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2015.
• M. I. West and Kathy Merlock Jackson, eds. Disneyland and Culture: Essays on the Parks and Their Influence. Jefferson, NC:  McFarland, 2011.
• M. I. West, ed. The Japanification of Children’s Popular Culture: From Godzilla to Miyazaki. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2009.
• M. I. West. A Children’s Literature Tour of Great Britain. Lanham, MD : Scarecrow Press, 2003.
• M. I. West, ed. Helen Hunt Jackson : Selected Colorado Writings. Palmer Lake, CO: Filter Press, 2002.
• M. I. West, ed.  Bits of Colorado:  Helen Hunt Jackson’s Writings for Young Readers.  Palmer Lake, CO:  Filter Press, 2000.
• M. I. West and Lucy Rollin. Psychoanalytic Responses to Children’s Literature. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1999.
• M. I. West. Everyone’s Guide to Children’s Literature. Fort Atkinson, WI: Highsmith Press, 1997.
• M. I. West, ed. Westward to a High Mountain : The Colorado Writings of Helen Hunt Jackson. Denver: Colorado Historical Society, 1994.
• M. I. West, ed. A Wondrous Menagerie: Animal Fantasy Stories from American Children’s Literature. Hamden, CT: Archon Books, 1994.
• M. I. West. Wellsprings of Imagination: The Homes of Children’s Authors. New York: Neal-Schuman, 1992.
• M. I. West. Roald Dahl. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1992.
• M. I. West, ed. Before Oz: Juvenile Fantasy Stories from Nineteenth-Century America. Hamden, CT: Archon Books, 1989.
• M. I. West. Trust Your Children: Voices Against Censorship in Children’s Literature. New York : Neal-Schuman, 1988. Expanded second edition published in 1997.
• M. I. West. Children, Culture, and Controversy. Hamden, CT: Archon Books, 1988.

Recent Articles:

• M. I. West.  “Cultivating Empathy through the Reading of Literature.”  Clio’s Psyche 27.3 (2021):  312-315.
• M. I. West.  “A Place to Play in Astrid Lindgren’s Stories.”  Bookbird:  A Journal of International Children’s Literature 58.4 (2020):  74-78.
• M. I. West. “Infant Depravity in Children’s Literature in Puritan America.”  Clio’s Psyche 24.3 (2018):  339-345.
• M. I. West.  “Childhood in the New South as Reflected in Children’s Literature.”  The Southern Quarterly 54.3/4 (2017):  126-150.
• M. I. West.  “John S. C. Abbott’s Views on Female Education in Antebellum America.”  The Journal of American Culture 39.2 (2016):  228-232.
• M. I. West.  “Preserving a Presidential Persona:  A Bibliophile President Created a Well-Traveled Library.” New York Archives 15.4 (2016):  36-37.
• M. I. West. “The Globalism of Dr. Seuss.”  The Dragon Lode 32.2 (2014): 53-55.
• M. I. West.  “Playing in the Worlds of Beatrix Potter and Charles Dickens.”  The Dragon Lode 31.2 (2013):  54-58.
• M. I. West.  “Martin Gardner and His Contributions to the History of Oz.” The Baum Bugle:  A Journal of Oz 56.2 (2012):  20-21.
• M. I. West.  “The Intersection of Fantasy and Social Commentary in Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox.”  Moon City Review (2012):  87-93.
• M. I. West.  “Dorothy and the Heroine’s Quest.”  The Baum Bugle:  A Journal of Oz 54.2 (2010):  7-15.
• M. I. West.  “Mark Twain, Walt Disney, and the Playful Response to Pirate Stories.”  American Journal of Play 2.4 (2010): 429-435.
• M. I. West.  “Theodore Roosevelt and the Golden Age of Children’s Literature.”  Journal of American Culture  33.2 (2010):  121-125.
• M. I. West.  “Reflections on Rereading The Wind in the Willows.” The Dragon Lode 25.1 (2006): 24-25.
• M. I. West. “Making Hogwartian Dreams Come True: Reflections on Running a Harry Potter Summer Camp.” The Dragon Lode 23.1 (2004): 49-51.
• M. I. West. “Godzilla and His Progeny: Why American Children Like Japanese Monsters.” South Carolina Review 36.2 (2004): 154-158.
• M. I. West. “Helen Hunt Jackson ‘s Nelly’s Silver Mine: A Lost Treasure Reclaimed.” The Lion and the Unicorn 28.1 (2004): 70-76.
• M. I. West. “Images of Mothers in Beatrix Potter’s Picture Books.” The Dragon Lode 21.2 (2003): 1-6.
• M. I. West. “The Home of Beatrix Potter and the Potential of Geographical Criticism.” South Carolina Review 35.2 (2003): 157-163.
• M. I. West. “Martin Gardner: North Carolina ‘s Annotator of Alice and Historian of Oz.” North Carolina Literary Review 10 (2001): 92-96.
• M. I. West. “Fantasy Literature for Children: Past, Present, and Future Tensions.” Journal of Children’s Literature 26.2 (2000): 35-39.
• M. I. West. “The Dakota Fairy Tales of L. Frank Baum.” South Dakota History 30.1 (2000): 134-154.

Courses Taught

Undergraduate:

• English 3103 Children’s Literature
• English 3104 Literature for Adolescents
• English 3102 Literature for Young Children
• English 4102 Classics in British Children’s Literature
• English 4103 Classics in American Children’s Literature

Graduate:

• English 6103 Juvenile Literature
• English 6104 Major Figures in Children’s Literature
• English 6090 Children’s Literature Award Winners

Professional Appointments

Faculty appointments:

• UNC Charlotte since 1984
• Washburn University of Topeka, 1983-84

Administrative appointments:

• Chair of the Department of English, UNC Charlotte, 2014-2019
• Interim Chair of the Department of English, UNC Charlotte, 2012-2013
• Interim Associate Dean for Student Services, UNC Charlotte, 2010-2011
• Director of M. A. Program in Liberal Studies, UNC Charlotte, 2009-2013
• Interim Chair of the Department of Art and Art History, UNC Charlotte, 2007
• Associate Dean for General Education, UNC Charlotte, 2002-07
• Director of the American Studies Program, UNC Charlotte, 1992-2002
• Graduate Coordinator of English M.A. Program, UNC Charlotte, 1990-92

Professional Service

• Editor, RISE:  A Children’s Literacy Journal, 2014-present
• Book Review Editor, Children’s Literature Association Quarterly, 2000-present
• Editor, The Five Owls, 1999-2006
• President, Children’s Literature Association, 2000-2001

Recent Awards

• Governor James E. Holshouser, Jr. Award for Excellence in Public Service, 2019.
• Bonnie E. Cone Professorship in Civic Engagement Award, UNC Charlotte, 2019.
• Anne Devereaux Jordan Award for Outstanding Achievement in Children’s Literature, Children’s Literature Association, 2016.
• Finalist for Bank of America Award for Teaching Excellence, UNC Charlotte, 2013.