Rev. Dr. Holland Prior is passionate about words. She joined the faculty at PLNU in 2022, and she directs both the College Composition program and the Loma Writing Center. She also teaches courses in rhetoric, composition, writing theory, and pedagogy. Prior’s areas of specialty include Christian rhetorics, writing centers, and writing program administration, and her published work has appeared in a variety of scholarly and creative venues. Prior is also an ordained minister with the Wesleyan Church and co-editor of "Program Profiles" for Composition Forum.
Education
- Ph.D., University of Tennessee, Knoxville
- M.F.A., University of New Hampshire
- M.Div. Azusa Pacific Seminary
- B.A., Azusa Pacific University
Courses Taught
- WRI 1010/1016 College Composition
- WRI 3070 Writing Theory and Pedagogy
- WRI 6001 Composition Pedagogy I
- WRI 6002 Composition Pedagogy II
Professional and Community Involvement
- Treasurer, Rhetoric and Religious Traditions Standing Interest Group
- Editor-in-Chief, Story Collective, The Sacred Alliance at Indiana Wesleyan University
- Ordained Minister, The Wesleyan Church
Awards and Honors
- Extraordinary Teaching Award, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2021
- Three-Minute Thesis Competition Winner, University of New Hampshire, 2017
- Spiritual Nonfiction Essay Contest Semi-Finalist, Ruminate Magazine, 2016
Dissertations, Presentations, and Publications
- “Reimagining Sponsorship: Recovery Work, Institutional Sponsorship, and the Nearly ForgottenRev. Mary A. Will.” Peitho, vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 32-54.
- “Super Friends Crossover: Variations of Graduate Tutor Training across the Multiversity.” International Writing Centers Association. Baltimore, MD. October 2023.
- “Transgressive Discourse: Studying Women Preachers’ Counter-Discourse in Sacred Places.” Conference on College Composition and Communication. Chicago, IL. February 2023.
- “To Splinter and Split: Mapping the Use of the Term Evangelical on Twitter in the Age of Trump,” in New Directions in Rhetoric and Religion: Exploring Emerging Intersections of Religion, Public Discourse, and Rhetorical Scholarship. Lexington Books, 2021.
- “A Fractured Legacy: Misremembering American Clergywomen.” Rhetoric Society of America. Baltimore, MD. May 2022.
- “The Untapped Potential of Mindfulness in Fostering Transfer and Deliberative Discourse.” Conference on College Composition and Communication. Chicago, IL. March 2022.
- “Writing Outside of the Lines: Collaboration and Online Instruction in Higher Learning During COVID-19.” Southeastern Museums Conference. Chattanooga, TN. October 2021.
- “Critical Imagination and Evangelical Clergywomen.” Feminisms and Rhetorics Conference. Harrisonburg, VA. November 2019.
- “Women Preachers and Sponsorship: The Ordination, Deposition, and Restoration of Rev. Mary A. Will.” International Society for the History of Rhetoric Conference. New Orleans, LA. July 2019.
- “Investigating Student Dispositions: Notes from an Ongoing Writing Program Research Initiative at the University of Tennessee.” Conference on College Composition and Communication. Pittsburgh, PA. March 2019.
- “Women Preachers and Physical Space.” Rhetoric & Religion in the 21st Century Conference. Knoxville, TN. October 2018.
