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Gretchen
McCullough

Position
Senior Instructor
Department
Department of Rhetoric and Composition
Email
gretchen@aucegypt.edu
File
Download CV44 KB

Profile

Brief Biography

Gretchen McCullough was raised in Harlingen Texas. After graduating from Brown University in 1984, she taught in Egypt, Turkey, and Japan. She earned her MFA from the University of Alabama and was awarded a teaching Fulbright to Syria from 1997 to 1999. Her stories, essays, and reviews have appeared in the Texas Review, The Alaska Quarterly Review, The Barcelona Review, Archipelago, National Public Radio, Storysouth, Storyglossia, The Literary Review and The Common.  Translations in English and Arabic have been published in: Nizwa, Banipal, Brooklyn Rail in Translation and Al-Mustaqbel. Her bi-lingual book of short stories in English and Arabic, Three Stories From Cairo, translated with Mohamed Metwalli, was published in July 2011 by AFAQ Publishing House, Cairo. A collection of short stories about expatriate life in Cairo, Shahrazad’s Tooth, was also published by AFAQ in 2013. Currently, she is a senior lecturer in the Department of Rhetoric and Composition at The American University in Cairo.

Book CoverBook Cover

      • McCullough, Gretchen. “Thirty Days.” Rev. of Thirty Days by Annelies Verbeke, Trans. by Liz Waters. The Literary Review. (November 26, 2018): n. page. Web.
      • Al-Qaffash, Montasser. “To Describe It A Little More.” A short story. Trans. by Gretchen McCullough and Mohamed Metwalli. Brooklyn Rail InTranslation. (November 2018): n. page. Web.
      • McCullough, Gretchen. “A Eulogy for Two Unsung Heroes of Egyptian Literature: Yahya Haqqi and Sabri Moussa.” The Millions, A Book Blog. (September 14, 2018): n. page. Web.
      • McCullough, Gretchen. “Lost Places.” Rev. of Lost Places, a collection of essays by Cathryn Hankla. The Literary Review. (August 2018): n. page. Web.
      • Metwalli, Mohamed. “Dedication Poem.” Trans. by Gretchen McCullough and Mohamed Metwalli. World Literature Today. (May 2018): n. page. Web and Print.
      • Al-Nasiri, Buthaina. “The Luck of the Tortoise.” A short story. Trans. by Gretchen McCullough and Mohamed Metwalli. Exchanges Literary Journal. (December 2017): n. page. Web.
      • Al-Qaffash, Montasser. “Checking out the Apartment.” A short story. Trans. by Gretchen McCullough, Rev. by Mohamed Metwalli. World Literature Today. (November/December 2017): n. page. Web and Print.
      • McCullough Gretchen, with Mohamed Metwalli. “Sheltering Words: Collaboratively Translating Montasser Al-Qaffash.” World Literature Today. (November/December 2017): n. page. Web and Print.
      • McCullough, Gretchen. “Adua.”  Rev. of Adua, by Igiaba Scego, Trans. by Jamie Richards. The Literary Review. (October 2017): n. page.Web.
      • McCullough, Gretchen. “Baghdad Eucharist.” Rev. of Baghdad Eucharist by Sinan Antoon. Trans. by Maia Tabet. World Literature Today. (September 2017): n. page. Web and Print.
      • Al-Nasiri, Buthaina. “Death of a Dog.” A short story. Trans. by Gretchen McCullough, Reviewed by Mohamed Metwalli. Gulf Coast Online. (Summer 2017): n. page. Web.
      • Metwalli, Mohamed. “Four Poems from A Song by the Aegean Sea.” Trans. by Gretchen McCullough and Mohamed Metwalli. Exchanges Literary Journal. (April 2017): n. page. Web.
      • McCullough, Gretchen. “A Greater Music.” Rev. of A Greater Music, by Bae Suah. Trans. by Deborah Smith. The Literary Review. (February 20th, 2017): n. page. Web.
      • McCullough, Gretchen. “Whitefly.” Rev. of Whitefly, by Abdelilah Hamdouchi, Trans. by Jonathon Smolin. Exchanges Literary Journal. (February 17th, 2017): n. page. Web.
      • Abdel Rahman, Lana. “The Sea Facing North.” Trans. by Gretchen McCullough, Asst. by Mohamed Metwalli. Brooklyn Rail inTranslation. (December 2016): n. page. Web.
      • McCullough, Gretchen. “Lay Down Your Weary Tune.” Rev. of Lay Down Your Weary Tune, by W. B. Belcher. The Literary Review. (July 25, 2016): n. page. Web.
      • Abdel Rahman, Lana. Chapter Two from The Snows of Cairo: an excerpt from a novel. Trans. by Gretchen McCullough, Reviewed by Mohamed Metwalli. Arabic Literature Today. (Spring 2016): n. page. Web.
      • McCullough, Gretchen. “A Portal in Space.” Rev. of A Portal in Space, by Mahmoud Saeed. Banipal: Magazine of Modern Arabic Literature. 55. (April 2016). Print.
      • Metwalli, Mohamed. Poems from A Song by the Aegean Sea. Trans. by Gretchen McCullough and Mohamed Metwalli. Mediterranean Poetry. (April 25, 2016.) : n. page. Web.
      • McCullough, Gretchen. “Margaret the First.” Rev. of Margaret the First, by Danielle Dutton. The Literary Review. (April 18, 2016): n. page. Web.
      • McCullough, Gretchen. “Ya Touyour: Oh Birds Sing.” Essay about the Syrian singer, Asmahan. Mediterranean Poetry. (April 13, 2016): n. page. Web.
      • McCullough, Gretchen. “An Anthology of 1500 Years of Arabic Literature.” Rev. of Desert Songs of the Night: An Anthology of 1500 Years of Arabic Literature. Ed. By Suheil Bushrui and James Malarkey. The Common. (February 2016) : n. page. Web.
      • McCullough, Gretchen. “The Perception of Meaning.” Rev. of The Perception of Meaning: A Collection of Short Fiction, by Hisham Bustani, Trans. by Thorya El-Rayyes. The Literary Review. (November 2015): n. page. Web.
      • Metwalli, Mohamed. Izmir Poems. Trans. by Gretchen McCullough and Mohamed Metwalli. Banipal: Magazine of Modern Arab Literature. 52. (April 2015) Print.
      • Abdel Rahman, Lana. Chapter One from The Snow of Cairo: Excerpt from a novel. Trans. by Gretchen McCullough, Assisted by Mohamed Metwalli. Brooklyn Rail inTranslation. (November 2014): n. page. Web.  
      • McCullough, Gretchen. “Tell the World You’re a Wildflower.” Rev. of Tell the World You’re a Wildflower: A Collection of Short Stories by Jennifer Horne. PoemMemoirStory. (October 2014): n. page. Web.   
      • McCullough, Gretchen. Shahrazad’s Tooth and Other Stories: BookBaby: Portland, Oregan. August 2013. Ebook.
      • McCullough, Gretchen. Shahrazad’s Tooth and Other Stories. Afaq Publishers: Cairo, Egypt, 2013. Print.  
      • Metwalli, Mohamed. “Two Words” & “Afterwards.” Trans. by Gretchen McCullough and Mohamed Metwalli. Brooklyn Rail inTranslation. (June 2013): n. page. Web.
      • McCullough, Gretchen. “A Letter from the American Cemetery in Cairo.” Mediterranean Poetry: An Online Journal. (March 15, 2013): n. page. Web.
      • Ali, Nagat. “The Friday of Rage: The March to Tahrir Square.” Trans. by Gretchen McCullough. Brooklyn Rail: Critical Perspectives on Arts, Politics and Culture. (October 2012): n. page. Web.
      • McCullough, Gretchen. “The Charm.” Mediterranean Poetry: An Online Journal. (May 9, 2012): n. page. Web.
      • McCullough, Gretchen. Three Stories from Cairo, a bilingual book of short stories. Trans. by Mohamed Metwalli and Gretchen McCullough. Afaq Publishers: Cairo, Egypt, 2011. Print.
      • Metwalli, Mohamed. “The Story of Light.” Trans. by Mohamed Metwalli and Gretchen McCullough. Brooklyn Rail inTranslation. (July 2011): n. page. Web.

    • University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, 1995.

      Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island. Bachelors of Arts in English, 1984.

    • The American University in Cairo, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Rhetoric and Composition. Writing courses in Playwriting, Fiction Writing, Creative Writing, Creative Nonfiction, Travel Writing, Literature Seminar, Children’s Stories. Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced Courses in Expository Writing, 2000-2018.

      Tishreen University, Lattakia, Syria, Fulbright Lecturer in Creative Writing. Courses in writing and language at the Language Institute. Courses also in Composition, American Literature and the Literary Essay in the English Department, 1997-1999.

        • Professional Development Leave for Spring Semester 2017 at the American University in Cairo. A semester of paid leave to work on a novel project.
        •  Skopelos Art Foundation. Worked on a new book project for two weeks at the Skopelos Art Foundation, Skopelos Island, Greece, July 2014.
        • Research Grant awarded by the American University in Cairo. Resident at the Tyrone Guthrie Arts Centre, Ireland, July 1-22nd 2013. The grant supported work on a new book project.
        • Conference Grant awarded by the American University in Cairo. Conference participant, Dzanc Books Disquiet International Program, Lisbon, Portugal, June 19-July 1, 2011.
        • Residency, Valparaiso Arts Foundation, Mojacar, Spain. Awarded a month at the Valparaiso Foundation to work on a collection of short stories, January 2011.
        • Conference Grant awarded by the American University in Cairo: Conference participant, Squaw Valley Community of Writers, Squaw Valley, California, August 2-9, 2008.
        • Conference Grant awarded by the American University in Cairo: Conference participant, Tin House Summer Writers’ Workshop, July 8-15, 2007.
        • Professional Development Leave for Fall Semester 2006 at the American University in Cairo. A semester of paid leave granted to work on a collection of short stories.
        • Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, Vermont, December 2006. A half-scholarship for the month of December to attend the Vermont Studio Center, an artists’ and writers’ colony in Vermont.
        • Squaw Valley Writers’ Conference, Squaw Valley, California, August 2006. Received a partial scholarship, granted to fiction writers for the conference.  
        • Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, Participant in Non-Fiction Writers’ Workshop, August 2003.
        • Sewanee Writers Conference Scholarship in Fiction. Awarded a scholarship for the Fiction Writers’ Workshop at Sewanee Writers’ Conference. Summer 1995.
      Research Interest
      • Creative writing
      • Travel writing
      • Creative non-fiction
      • Literary translation