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Author Profile

Graham Hillard

Graham Hillard joined the Martin Center in the spring of 2022 after fifteen years at Trevecca Nazarene University, where he taught creative writing, literature, and composition. He holds a bachelor’s degree in communication arts from Union University and an MFA in creative writing from New York University.

Hillard’s opinion pieces and articles have appeared widely, in such venues as the Los Angeles Review of Books, Memphis: The City Magazine, The Oxford American, and The Weekly Standard. He has written on many occasions for National Review and is a contributing writer for the Washington Examiner, where he writes about film and television. On two occasions, his work has been listed among the year’s “notables” in Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Best American Essays anthology. He was a finalist for the 2012 Livingston Award for Young Journalists in the “local reporting” category and the recipient of a 2017 individual artist fellowship for poetry from the Tennessee Arts Commission.

In addition to his duties at the Martin Center, Hillard is the founding editor of the Cumberland River Review, a digital literary quarterly. His first book of poems, Wolf Intervals, was published in the Poiema Poetry Series (Cascade Books) in 2022. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife and children.

Articles by Graham Hillard


A “Canceled” Student Strikes Back

Sep 7, 2023 · Graham Hillard · Comments Off on A “Canceled” Student Strikes Back

On the evening of July 17, 2020, one of two things happened on a blocked thoroughfare in Charlottesville, Virginia. Either Morgan Bettinger, a rising senior at UVA, uttered a threatening … Continue reading “A “Canceled” Student Strikes Back”


Whatever Happened to Kychelle Del Rosario?

Aug 14, 2023 · Graham Hillard · Comments Off on Whatever Happened to Kychelle Del Rosario?

If the name Kychelle Del Rosario rings a bell, congratulations on a truly excellent memory for egregious academic-medical wokeness. For the rest of us, a refresher course may be in … Continue reading “Whatever Happened to Kychelle Del Rosario?”


The State of AI-Chatbot Detection

Jun 1, 2023 · Graham Hillard · Comments Off on The State of AI-Chatbot Detection

On April 4 of this year, the academic-services firm Turnitin activated a software designed to catch a certain kind of student plagiarist. As has been widely discussed on the Martin … Continue reading “The State of AI-Chatbot Detection”


Wage Discrimination at App State

Apr 4, 2023 · Graham Hillard · Comments Off on Wage Discrimination at App State

Shortly after our February report on DEI activity at Appalachian State University, the Martin Center received a tip from a concerned App State employee. According to this faculty member (who … Continue reading “Wage Discrimination at App State”


North Carolina Strikes a Blow Against Credentialism

Mar 23, 2023 · Graham Hillard · Comments Off on North Carolina Strikes a Blow Against Credentialism

Last week, following an executive order by Gov. Roy Cooper, North Carolina joined a growing movement to pull down unnecessary barriers to public employment. Bearing the modest title “Recognizing the … Continue reading “North Carolina Strikes a Blow Against Credentialism”


The University as Life Coach

Feb 23, 2023 · Graham Hillard · Comments Off on The University as Life Coach

What do you call an employee who is emotionally unprepared to work? Why, a recent college graduate, of course. So says a new report by the Mary Christie Institute, a … Continue reading “The University as Life Coach”


App State’s Magical Vanishing DEI Committee

Feb 6, 2023 · Graham Hillard · Comments Off on App State’s Magical Vanishing DEI Committee

Last May, Inside Higher Ed reported that Appalachian State University was building a summer ’22 “working group” to address how the institution solicits and evaluates “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” (DEI) … Continue reading “App State’s Magical Vanishing DEI Committee”


No, Colleges are Not Unsafe

Oct 24, 2022 · Graham Hillard and Natalia Mayorga · Comments Off on No, Colleges are Not Unsafe

In 1986, Lehigh University freshman Jeanne Clery was raped and murdered in her on-campus dormitory. This terrible event led to the passage of the Clery Act (1990), which requires American … Continue reading “No, Colleges are Not Unsafe”


“Updated Mission Statements, Comrade!”

Oct 17, 2022 · Graham Hillard · Comments Off on “Updated Mission Statements, Comrade!”

University mission statements are the cell phone user contracts of higher-ed prose. Committee-generated and loved by none, they sit awkwardly on webpages and internal reports, awaiting readers to justify their … Continue reading ““Updated Mission Statements, Comrade!””


A Popular Fiction Genre is Unreadable Garbage. Blame Colleges.

Jul 8, 2022 · Graham Hillard · Comments Off on A Popular Fiction Genre is Unreadable Garbage. Blame Colleges.

Over the last several years, a burgeoning new genre has put the book-watching world on notice. “New Adult,” a coinage first used by St. Martin’s Press in 2009, refers to … Continue reading “A Popular Fiction Genre is Unreadable Garbage. Blame Colleges.”

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