Holly E. Burgess is a PhD Candidate and Cyril E. Smith Fellow in the Department of English at Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI. She specializes in 20th- and 21st-century African American literature, Hip Hop studies, and film studies. Born and raised in Wisconsin, Holly is of Black and Irish American descent. She is a researcher, educator, activist, poet, and public speaker.

Holly earned a BA in English and a certificate in film studies from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in 2015. In 2018, she obtained her MA in English from Marquette University, where she later returned for her doctoral studies. Her upcoming dissertation, “Transcribing Brutality: Violence, Martyrdom, and Legacy in Black Literature and Social Movements,” traces four generations of Black scholar-activists responding to themes of state violence, lynching, martyrdom, and legacy. It focuses on the activism and writings of Malcolm X, Dr. Huey P. Newton, Tupac Shakur, and Angie Thomas. Malcolm X serves as the foundational anchor of her dissertation. Holly expects to earn her PhD in Spring 2027.

Before receiving the Cyril E. Smith Fellowship, Holly was a Marquette University Diversity Doctoral Fellow and a two-time Arthur J. Schmitt Leadership Fellow. In addition to her doctoral fellowships, she has received numerous research and travel grants. Holly received the John D. McCabe Award for Excellence in Teaching for her work in first-year writing and African American literature. She has presented her research on Black activism and pedagogy at various national and local conferences. Her poems on Black thought and activism have been published in Straylight Literary Arts Magazine and Marquette Literary Review. Her speaking engagements have been featured on WISN 12 Milwaukee, Fox6 Milwaukee, Marquette Today, and Urban Milwaukee. Holly is an accomplished scholar and educator who offers public and private lectures and poetry readings. For more information, visit hollyeburgess.com.