Winner of the Inaugural John W. Lowe Doctoral Fellowship

Ray Delva is the winner of the inaugural John W. Lowe Doctoral Fellowship. This fellowship was established by June C. Lowe in memory of her husband John Wharton Lowe, III. Dr. Lowe, a cornerstone of the UGA English department, passed away unexpectedly on August 5, 2023, leaving a hole in the lives of everyone who knew him. Although he is known for his work in Southern Literature, his “real love in literature,” was African American literature, and his fondest moments of his career involve teaching courses on the Harlem Renaissance, Black Writers in the South, and Black Women Writers.

“The fellowship and the support fund are both specifically designed to help graduate students who work in the fields that Professor Lowe himself championed throughout his long and distinguished career,” said Roland Végső, the Head of the English Department. “They will provide us a truly special opportunity to recruit some of the brightest students and help them reach their career goals while they are in our graduate program.”

The awards committee, lead by Graduate Coordinator, Isiah Lavender III, had this to say of Delva:

"Ray Delva is a very promising scholar/teacher. He's of Haitian descent, with conversational skill in Kreyol (very valuable for his work and fields). His areas of growing expertise include: post/decolonial theory, Native lit and studies, and Afro-Caribbean and diaspora lit. His work falls firmly within the framework of a robustly conceived (circum-Caribbean and global) 'South' and multicultural studies. He makes links between the Caribbean and US Black and Native South. As evidence of his promise as a teacher, Ray won the 'Outstanding Teaching Assistant' Award this spring. He’s humble and amiable, someone the Graduate Committee felt John would have admired and advocated for. He is prepared, earnest, and well-read."

Congratulations, Ray!