Assistant Professor of English
Director of Honors Program
Curriculum Vitæ
clay.morton@maconstate.edu

Clay Morton (Ph.D., University of Georgia, 2005) has interests in the history and theory of media (especially orality-literacy studies), American literature (especially Southern authors), and the literary and pedagogical implications of neurodiversity (especially autism spectrum disorders). In his book The Oral Character of Southern Literature (Mellen, 2008), Morton uses communication theory to argue that orality has been an essential determiner of the literary and cultural identity of the American South. He has also published essays on William Faulkner (Storytelling), William Gilmore Simms (Southern Studies), the Southern Agrarians (New Georgia Encyclopedia and elsewhere), and nineteenth-century rhetorical education (South Atlantic Review). His current research focuses on autism and the literary imagination.

In addition to his duties in the Humanities Department, Dr. Morton directs the Macon State College Honors Program.