Last school year, beginning in fall of 2024, Lakeland University gained a new assistant professor of English and Composition, Dr. John Ellis-Etchison. Now that he has been teaching at Lakeland for over a year, his part in Lakeland’s community has grown and he has learned a lot about Wisconsin and what it is like to live here.
Ellis-Etchison grew up in Oklahoma and has experience teaching at two other universities prior to arriving at Lakeland. These universities included the University of Central Oklahoma and Rice University, both housing a large student and faculty population. He mentions that his experience at Lakeland has been special because of the small campus population. “That means I get to build a real community with students,” said Ellis-Etchison, “I now have the privilege of first-hand witnessing their transformations in knowledge, confidence and compassion.”
Lakeland has a very unique classroom setting that differs greatly from large universities around the country. Ellis-Etchison had the pleasure of teaching many courses last year and found it tough to narrow the list down to just one or two favorite classes. Although it was difficult, he chose ENG312: Exploring Later British Literature and ENG200: Exploring World Literature because the topics were fascinating and found that students were very engaged in the material.
Previously, Ellis-Etchison described that interacting with the other members of the English Department felt like “sitting down with old friends” and that it was easy to start conversations and keep them going. When asked about his opinion on how this quote has aged, he states that “it feels even more like that now than it did last year—but in a different way.”
Ellis-Etchison discusses that he knows he can turn to his colleagues for help but also finds himself wishing to hear about “their weekends and what kinds of shenanigans their littles or their furbabies are getting up to!” To wrap up his thoughts, Ellis-Etchison warmly stated: “They’re just… my people, my community.”
Recently, Dr. Mark Heimermann, the associate professor of English, and Ellis-Etchison held the first annual English Department Film Screening and Discussion. At this event, the two professors played the movie “Pan’s Labyrinth” by Guillermo Del Toro and led a large-group discussion that delved into topics such as the history, mythology and monstrosity of the film. The film was described by Ellis-Etchison as a “gothic, twisted fairytale that’s like “Alice in Wonderland” but set in 1940s Francoist Spain.”
He reflected on the event by mentioning that the students in attendance “asked such good questions and offered really thoughtful insights and observations,” about the film. After describing some of the observations, he stated that he “can’t wait until they get to host it again next year!”
Ellis-Etchison is also excited to be teaching two brand-new courses next semester, Spring 2026, that both take a deep dive into mysteries and gothic themes. The first one is a new Approaching Literature (ENG190) course called “Whodunits and Other Mysteries.” Being a mystery enthusiast himself, Ellis-Etchison crafted this course for students who are looking to pick up a magnifying glass and investigate literature through the lenses of Poe’s C. Auguste Dupin, Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes and other mysterious stories and films. He even is debating on having students create their own detective persona to utilize during class.
The next new course is an Advanced Textual Studies (ENG498) course, named The Gothic, the Ghostly, & the Haunted. Ellis-Etchison said that if there is “one thing [he] loves more than a good mystery, it might be a good ghost story,” which led to the development of this study course. In this class, students will read some of the most iconic ghost stories in English literature and film. He talked about the possibility that students may even “go on amateur ghost hunts of their own” to discover the reasoning behind why humans are so “engrossed and enthralled by these types of stories.”
When he first arrived in Wisconsin, Ellis-Etchison had to face some unprecedented challenges that made it difficult to begin life here. But now, his main challenge is being homesick for his family and friends back in Oklahoma. To combat this, he reminds himself that it isn’t so bad because “they’re only a phone call or text away.” Despite being homesick, he finds Wisconsin beautiful and refers to it as something “straight out of one of those picturesque Nancy Meyers films.” He spends a lot of time in Sheboygan, that is, when he is not curled up at home watching “Bob’s Burger’s” or “Welcome to Derry.”
In early November, Ellis-Etchison went to Zine Fest at the Mead Public Library with Heimermann and Dr. Madeleine Wattenberg, another of his close colleagues. While there, he and Heimermann fleshed out some ideas for the Zine event that Heimermann is currently working on for the upcoming spring semester.
Wattenberg also introduced Ellis-Etchison to a poet, Maryann Hurtt, who lives in the area and has an eco-poetic, indigenous and historical collection named “Once Upon a Tar Creek: Mining for Voices.” Through their conversation, he learned that the collection discussed many places in his home state, Oklahoma: “including Pitcher, Miami, and even [his] hometown, Locust Grove.”
Ellis-Etchison has become a vital part of the English department and has grown to love Lakeland University and Wisconsin as a whole. He looks forward to the upcoming years here and to watch his students grow as writers and people throughout their years here on campus.