Geoffrey Nilson

English doctoral student in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Tell us a little about yourself, including what inspires you to learn and continue in your chosen field

I'm a poet, editor, musician, and literary critic born in Duncan, BC. I hold an MA in English from Simon Fraser University (2022) and a BA in Creative Writing from Kwantlen Polytechnic University (2016). Previously an industrial warehouseman, touring musician, and copywriter, I now (occasionally) teach literature at Vancouver Community College and for the Humanities 101 community program at University of British Columbia. I'm also a PhD student and teaching assistant in the Department of English at Simon Fraser University. My research is focused primarily on contemporary literature and literary theory, with a grounding in Modernism, Postmodernism, and the art history of the avant-garde. My work is informed by theory and praxis of historical materialism as they relate to individual and collective identity. My research challenges nationalist discourse in a time of decolonization, questioning the Canadian nation as a literary ideology and vehicle for settler colonial desire.

Why did you choose to come to SFU?

SFU has a decades-long history in the study of contemporary poetry and poetics. I wanted to continue that legacy in poetic scholarship, following in the creative/critical path of amazing professors like Robin Blaser and Stephen Collis (and more recent graduates Jordan Abel, Deanna Fong, & Ryan Fitzpatrick).

How would you describe your research or your program to a family member?

My dissertation analyzes literary nationalism in the Canadian context, reading the "Canadian" literature at the beginning of the 21st century to theorize how poets deploy experimental forms to deconstruct national and settler-colonial desire, practicing a criticism of and resistance to the Canadian national project while, in some cases, also serving in its creation.

What three (3) keywords would you use to describe your research?

poetry; decolonialism; historical materialism

How have your courses, RA-ships, TA-ships, or non-academic school experiences contributed to your academic and/or professional development?

Through my work as a teaching assistant, I have been able to stay directly engaged with poetic discourse. Student discussion never fails to generate new perspectives on literature and new methods for thinking poetry in the contemporary world.

Contact Geoffrey:geoffrey_nilson@sfu.ca