UW English Professor Releases 24-Episode Literary Series with The Great Courses

Arielle Zibrak, a professor of English at the University of Wyoming, has released "A Literary Tour of the United States," a 24-episode lecture series produced by The Great Courses.

The series takes viewers on a journey through the nation's diverse literary landscapes, weaving together the history of American regions with the writers who shaped them. Audiences are guided by Zibrak across America, delving into writing that has distinguished U.S. literature across three centuries.

Throughout the lectures, viewers can explore the literature of numerous regions of the U.S., including New England, Appalachia, the South, Florida, the Midwest, the West and the Hawaiian Islands.

Along the way, viewers encounter writing that reflects a wide spectrum of the American experience, from European settlers, immigrants and urban elites to the lives of African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans and more, spanning the 18th century to the present.

"One of the many reasons I was enthusiastic about the project was the opportunity to bring the kind of experience my students and I share in the classroom in Laramie to viewers across the world who might not otherwise have a chance to do so," Zibrak says.

The Great Courses first approached Zibrak in 2022 after a talent recruiter, familiar with her published work and lectures, reached out with the idea for a pilot episode. After filming the pilot on Edith Wharton in Virginia, Zibrak was signed in 2023 to write and host the full series. Throughout the next two years, she drafted 24 scripts -- each about 4,500 words -- and later filmed the episodes at The Great Courses' soundstage in December 2024.

In addition to her research and writing, Zibrak learned the art of on-camera presenting, working with producers and crew to bring the scripts to life with visuals, video footage and set design. She describes the process as both exciting and exhausting, particularly the challenge of reading from a teleprompter while connecting with viewers.

For Zibrak, the Wyoming-centered episodes about the fiction of the West were especially meaningful.

"In the episodes, I blend the history of the region with the history of its writers, featuring their homes and the places that inspired them and their characters as well as larger themes from literary studies," Zibrak says.

Some of her favorite writers featured in the course are James Baldwin, Kali Fajardo-Anstine, Elizabeth Bishop, Truman Capote, Flannery O'Connor, Henry James and Zora Neale Hurston.

Since its release, the series has reached audiences around the world. Former students and English majors have expressed their excitement at reconnecting with the discipline and discovering new perspectives in American literary history.

"I also loved learning about and sharing the broad variety of cultures, histories and backgrounds that animate our national literature," Zibrak says. "At a time when the country is so divided, it was powerful to work on a project that celebrated what I love about the arts and cultural history of the United States."

A Literary Tour of the United States is available now through The Great Courses. A trailer and access to the series can be found here.

For more information, email Zibrak at [email protected].