Margo Lukens
Professor of English
Director of the the Clement and Linda McGillicuddy Humanities Center
409 Neville Hall
University of Maine
Orono, ME 04469-5752
(207) 581-3834 or McGilliicuddy Humanities Center (207) 581-1848
Email: lukens@maine.edu
Office Hours – Fall 2021 – sabbatical
CURRENT RESEARCH INTERESTS
Native American and First Nations plays and playwrights; Wabanaki literary and storytelling history; innovation for social justice; and decolonization work
EDUCATION
Ph.D. in English, August 1991 – University of Colorado, Boulder
Dissertation: “Creating Cultural Spaces: The Pluralist Project of American Women
Writers, 1843-1902.” Director: Cordelia Candelaria
M.A. in English, December 1986 – University of Colorado, Boulder
Master’s thesis: “The Cowboy Hero as Androgyne and Poet: A New Reading of an
American Archetype.” Director: Lee Krauth
A.B. cum laude, June 1977 – Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
BOOKS
Indigenous New England: special journal issue on Northeastern Native American writers. Studies in American Indian Literatures 24.3. Eds. Margo Lukens and Siobhan Senier. Lincoln: U Nebraska P, winter 2012.
“Grandchildren of the Buffalo Soldiers” and other untold stories: five plays by William S. Yellow Robe, Jr., introduction & notes, UCLA American Indian Studies Center: Los Angeles, CA, 2009.
BOOK CHAPTERS
“Two Worlds on One Stage: working in collaboration to prevent encroachment, appropriation, and other maddening forms of imperialism”—a focused critical interview/essay with William S. Yellow Robe, Jr. American Indian Performing Arts: Critical Directions, eds. Hanay Geiogamah and Jaye Darby. Los Angeles: UCLA American Indian Studies Center, 2009. 111-126.
“The American Indian Story of Zitkala-Sa.” In Her Own Voice: Nineteenth-Century American Women Essayists, ed. Sherry Lee Linkon. New York: Garland Publishing, 1997. 141-55.
“Columnist of Conscience: Margaret Fuller’s New York Years.” Margaret Fuller: Visionary of the New Age, ed. Marie Urbanski. Orono: Northern Lights Press, 1994. 183-96.
“Selective Cultural Intersections in America.” Multiethnic Literature of the United States: Critical Introductions and Classroom Resources, ed. Cordelia Candelaria. Boulder: U Colorado P, 1989. 133-57.
JOURNAL ARTICLES
“‘A Being of a New World:’ The Ambiguity of Mixed Blood in Pauline Johnson’s ‘My Mother.’” MELUS (Multi Ethnic Literatures of the United States) 27.3 (U Conn P) 2002. 43-56.
“Her ‘Wrongs and Claims:’ Sarah Winnemucca’s Strategic Narratives of Abuse.” Wicazo-Sa Review 13.1 (U Minnesota P) 1998. 93-108.
“Mourning Dove and Mixed Blood: Cultural and Historical Pressures on Aesthetic Choice and Authorial Identity.” American Indian Quarterly 21.3 (U Nebraska P) 1997. 409-22.
“‘I am from Mohegan! I am not Pequot!’: Cultural Survival in the Diary of Fidelia Fielding.” The Construction of Gender and the Experience of Women in American Indian Societies. D’Arcy McNickle Center for the History of the American Indian Occasional Papers in Curriculum Series 20. Chicago: Newberry Library, 1996. 243-57.
“Mestizaje: The Healing in Silko’s Ceremony.” Cross Timbers Review 5/6 (Cisco, TX: Texas State Historical Assn.) 1989. 17-27.
CURRENT PROJECTS
A revised and expanded two-volume bilingual edition of Penobscot Transformer Tales. Proposal to UMass Press Native Americans of the Northeast Series:
Vol. I: “They Remember Me Still:”, a new expanded bilingual edition of the first 13 Gluskape stories from the Penobscot Transformer Tales (Frank Speck, 1918)
Vol. II: Gluskape and other heroes of Penobscot tradition: a new bilingual edition including previously unpublished stories from Newell Lyon (Penobscot)
“Fatty: or, Why White People Are Afraid of Indians” a solo show for performance by a middle-aged white woman thinking about race and oppression
CONFERENCE PAPERS & PRESENTATIONS (selected)
“Dawnland Voices and Penobscot Transformer Tales: A Round Table on collaboration” with Carol Dana and Siobhan Senier at Native American Literature Symposium, March 3, 2017, Prior Lake, MN http://www.mnsu.edu/nativelit/LAST2017%20Print%20Program%20DraftWEB.pdf
“Transformer Tales: Finding the Penobscot in Penobscot Theatre” Pechakucha presentation (20×20) for UMaine Humanities Weekend, 48 Columbia St., Bangor, January 27, 2017
“Art That Works: William Yellow Robe’s Star Quilter as Open Letter” at Thinking Its Presence: The Racial Imaginary, March 13, 2015, University of Montana, Missoula, MT http://thinkingitspresencetheracia2015.sched.org/
“Memory and Amnesia: Consumer Culture Means Never Having to Say You’re Sorry” at The Art of Public Memory Conference, April 9, 2011, University of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro, NC https://sites.google.com/a/uncg.edu/the-art-of-public-memory-conference/conference-program
“Using collaboration to guarantee the artistic expression of indigenous voices” with William S. Yellow Robe, Jr., in Roundtable at First Nations, Lasting Nations—first annual Indigenous New England Conference, September 17, 2010, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
“Establishing Presence: Learning from Peskotomuhkati Wolastoqewi Latuwewakon: A Passamaquoddy-Maliseet Dictionary” at Native American and Indigenous Studies Association, May 21, 2010, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
Co-presentation with William S. Yellow Robe, Jr. and Maulian Dana on Penobscot Nation-University of Maine collaboration. Produced scenes from “Wood Bones” by William S. Yellow Robe, Jr. Second annual HOOP videoconference, December 4, 2009, Orono, ME. Videoconference originated at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA.
Co-presentation with William S. Yellow Robe, Jr., Carol Dana, and ssipsis. Produced scene from “Pieces of Us” by William S. Yellow Robe, Jr. First annual HOOP (Honoring Our Origins and Peoples) videoconference, June 18, 2009, Orono, ME. Videoconference originated at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA.
“Intertribal Thespians: the development of community theatre from Indian Island, Maine” co-presented with Marcia Douglas at Native American Literature Symposium, March 10, 2007, Saginaw, MI
“Deer Noise: Listening for Stage Directions in Diane Glancy’s ‘The Woman Who Was a Red Deer Dressed for the Deer Dance’” presented at University of Maine English Department Graduate Symposium, May 3, 2006, Orono, ME
Co-presentation with Kathleen Paul (Penobscot) on “Young Wabanaki Writers” at fourth annual Native American Literature Symposium, March 22, 2003, Prior Lake, MN
“‘someone else’s book?’: Reading Native American Stories Written in English” presented at the third annual Native American Literature Symposium, April 12, 2002, Prior Lake, MN
“‘Those Moosehide Pants:’ Henry Red Eagle’s Maliseet Performances” presented at the Southwest/Texas American Culture Association/Popular Culture Association annual meeting, March 10, 2001, Albuquerque, NM
“Wabanaki Literary History: Writers and Storytellers of the Past Century” presented at the American Literature Association Native American Literature Symposium, November 13, 1999, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
“‘white man jumped their claim:’ Gertrude Bonnin’s Search for Sarah Winnemucca’s Legacy” presented at annual meeting of the Western Literature Association, October 17, 1998, Banff, Alberta, Canada
“E. Pauline Johnson: ‘A Being of a New World’” presented at biennial meeting of the Association for Canadian Studies in the United States, November 20, 1997, Minneapolis, MN
“Her ‘Wrongs and Claims’: Sarah Winnemucca’s Exposure of Abuse” presented at American Literature Association annual meeting, May 23, 1997, Baltimore, MD
“Nanabush and Weendigo: Native Resistance to Tragedy in Tomson Highway’s Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing” presented at biennial meeting of the Association for Canadian Studies in the United States, November 18, 1995, Seattle, WA
“Both Sides of the Border: The Representations of Pauline Johnson and Zitkala-Sa.” Presented at annual meeting of the American Culture Association/Popular Culture Association, April 15, 1995, Philadelphia, PA
“Cogewea: Establishing the Half-Blood Zone.” Presented at annual meeting of the Rocky Mountain division of the American Society for Aesthetics, July 11, 1993, St. John’s College, Santa Fe, NM
“The Cultural Work of Life Among the Piutes.” Presented at Other Voices: American Women Writers of Color Conference, June 2, 1993, Sheraton Conference Center, Ocean City, MD
RELATED PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Project manager on creation of “Transformer Tales: Stories of the Dawnland” script for performances. Collaboration with Wabanaki writers, Penobscot Theatre Company, Bangor, ME, & Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, ME. July 2015-June 2016
Premiere performance of “Transformer Tales” at Indian Island School August 11, 2016; additional performances Bangor Opera House August 12 & 13, 2016; Criterion Theatre, Bar Harbor, August 14, 2016
Participated (actor/director) in productions of “Glooskape Chronicles” by Donna Loring (Penobscot) at University of Maine and Bar Harbor, Maine. May 2012-Feb 2015
Produced & participated in numerous reader’s theater performances of works by William S. Yellow Robe, Jr.: SPAMRANTS; Thieves; Woodbones; Native American Paranormal Society; A Stray Dog; Rez Politics; Pieces of Us; University of Maine & other Maine venues. Jan 2005-Sept 2013
Produced “Indian Radio Days, an Evolving Bingo Experience” by LeAnne Howe and Roxy Gordon at Collis Commonground, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH. May 11, 2006.
Directed & produced “The Woman Who Was a Red Deer Dressed for the Deer Dance” by Diane Glancy (Cherokee) at Cyrus Pavilion Theatre, University of Maine. April 2006.
Produced “Indian Radio Days, an Evolving Bingo Experience” by LeAnne Howe and Roxy Gordon at Anikwom Ancestral Whole Life Ways Conference, Bangor, ME. July 14, 2005.
Directed “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde with Orono Community Theatre, Keith Anderson Community House, Orono, ME. April 2005.
Produced “Better-n-Indins” by William S. Yellow Robe, Jr. (Assiniboine), at Cyrus Pavilion Theatre, University of Maine. November 2004.
Directed reader’s theater performances of The Rez Sisters by Tomson Highway (Cree) at Indian Island Community Center (Penobscot Nation) and Glickman Library, University of Southern Maine. April 2 and 22, 2004.
Directed reader’s theater performance of The Rez Sisters for School of Performing Arts Reader’s Theatre series, Minsky Recital Hall, University of Maine. November 12, 2003.
Directed reader’s theater performance of scenes from “The Independence of Eddie Rose” by William S. Yellow Robe, Jr. for Domestic Violence Awareness event at Indian Island Community Center, Penobscot Nation. October 16, 2003.
PROGRAM CREATION & FACULTY DEVELOPMENT
Undergraduate Certificate in Innovation Engineering, approved Spring 2014
Graduate Certificate in Innovation Engineering, approved Spring 2012
Recruit and train faculty to teach Innovation Engineering at University of Maine System campuses and beyond, July 2010-PRESENT
Minor in Innovation Engineering, approved Fall 2009
TEACHING
Graduate courses:
African American Literary Tradition and Theory
American Literature: Colonial through Romantic
Contexts of Intertribal Theater
Cultural Amnesia: Restoring American Historical Memory
Intertextuality in Native American Literature
Intertribal Drama
Metissage: the Literature and Experience of Mixed Blood
Native American Writing: Intersections of Orality and Literacy
Reading Plays by Native American and First Nations Playwrights
Stage Left: Reading Playwrights from the Margins (US/Canada)
Undergraduate courses:
African American Literature
African American Literary Tradition and Theory
American Literature Survey through the Civil War
American Novel
American Romantics
American Women’s Literature
American Women’s Popular Fiction, 1790-1890
College Composition
Colonial and Early National American Literature
Cultural Intersections in America
Ethnicity and Race in American Literature
Ethnic American Women Writers
Introduction to British Literature
Introduction to Fiction
Introduction to American Literature
Metissage: Literature of the Experience of Mixed Blood
Native American Literature
Native American Women Writers and Storytellers
The Nature of Story
Staging Intertribal Theater
