UNM English Professor wins award from Shakespeare Association

University of New Mexico Associate Professor of English Marissa Greenberg,Ph.D., recently received the Barbara Hodgdon Award from the Shakespeare Association of America for her article about Shakespeare and activism.

This inaugural award recognizes outstanding scholarship in the field of Shakespeare and performance. Greenberg's article, titled "Shakespeare in Activism: Podcasts, Processions, and the Public's Richard II," spawned from her passion and knowledge of Shakespeare.

During the initial COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, Greenberg came across an audio play performed by the Public Theater in New York City. They paired with WNYC radio and created a four-episode podcast production of "Richard II."

This adaptation of the play made her think about the processional scenes in that play, and how society has modern processions today whether they be for a funeral, religious reasons, or political.

"It's both symbolic of a moment, but when you're doing that procession, you're also performing that thing. That thing is becoming real through the performance," said Greenberg.

Greenberg suffers from chronic illness, something that prohibited her from participating in the Women's March on Washington in 2016. She searched for alternative ways to participate, even if she couldn't leave the house, and again when the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests were underway. Both of these events were in the back of her mind as she began drawing parallels between what was happening within "Richard II" to what was happening in real time.

"I realized that this podcast at that moment was doing something really interesting with the relationship between the body movement and political movements. And so I was like, okay, I have to write this," Greenberg said. "I knew that what I had to say had the potential to be important."

Greenberg has written about the intersection of her academic interests for many years now, including the relationship between Shakespeare and social justice movements today. During the process of writing this paper, Greenberg reached out to various sources for feedback, something she encourages other academics to do.

"We talk a lot about 'funds of knowledge' here at UNM. Everyone brings their own knowledge and unique experiences. Sometimes that means outsourcing certain funds of knowledge, and there's nothing wrong with that because sharing our personal experiences is how we become more educated and empathetic," Greenberg said. "These really are labors of love that they do. And I'm deeply grateful for it."

Along those lines, Greenberg has made a commitment to inclusion and accessible teaching--an ever evolving set of strategies to cultivate anti-racist, anti-sexist, anti-ableist, and anti-homophobic pedagogies called "podcast pedagogy." In a Medium article, Greenberg recounts how she conceived the idea.

"When the pandemic hit, I recognized that teaching with podcasts can also promote social justice by addressing systemic inequities in student access, safety, and health," Greenberg said. "By sharing this pedagogy's theoretical underpinnings and some of its methods, I hope to add to the wealth of resources for teaching premodern literature for social justice now available as a result of the efforts of organizations and initiatives like the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, the Folger Shakespeare Institute, the English Association, and The Sundial."

Greenberg was also recently announced to be the 2025-2027 UNM Presidential Teaching Fellow, which highlights excellence in teaching. Organizers say that awardees are creative and driven educators who have made exceptional strides in their teaching practices that focus on increasing student success and belonging in line with UNM's educational mission.

The Barbary Hodgdon Award was created in honor of Barbara Hodgdon, a renowned scholar of Shakespeare and performance. The prize aims to recognize innovative work that opens up new conversations in the field of performance.