Leigh Sparks

Bio

Dr. Leigh Sparks is a Teaching Associate Professor and the Associate Director of the M.A. and Ph.D. programs in English at the University of Arkansas. She teaches courses that focus on communicating effectively about the needs of people who are leaving prison and reentering society in the U.S. She also teaches on the extent to which films accurately represent the severity and complexity of the barriers that U.S. citizens may face while in prison and after they are released. Her research interests include literature written by and about people during their incarceration in American prisons and during their reentry processes. She conducts research in Arkansas prisons, and she has co-facilitated programming for mothers who are incarcerated. She has individually facilitated discussions with men and women in Arkansas prisons about the topic of reentry as it is addressed in books, articles, and/or films.