Dr. Matt Seybold
Associate Professor of American Literature & Mark Twain Studies, Resident Scholar at Center For Mark Twain Studies, Editor-in-Chief of MarkTwainStudies.org, Executive Producer of The American Vandal Podcast
Matt Seybold joined the Elmira College faculty in July 2015. He earned his Ph.D. from University of California, Irvine in 2012, after which he worked at The University of Alabama. He teaches courses on all periods of American Literature, is founding director of the Media Studies, Communications, & Design program. Upon hiring, Matt made the creation of a digital presence for the Center for Mark Twain Studies his highest priority and, with support from Director Lemak and Dr. Mitchell, oversaw the design and launch of MarkTwainStudies.org in October 2016. He sees the website as a repository for an evolving range of Twain-related resources, as well as a broader, more democratic means of serving CMTS’s unique mission.
Dr. Seybold’s scholarship focuses on the intersection of economics, mass media, and literary culture in the United States from the founding of the New York Stock Exchange in 1817 to the 2008 financial crisis. He is co-editor of the Routledge Companion to Literature & Economics (2018). Recent articles can be found in American Literary History, Mark Twain Annual, T.S. Eliot Studies Annual, American Studies, Reception, Henry James Review, and Los Angeles Review of Books (For a full list of publications, visit MattSeybold.com). He has been a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Scholar at the Center for the History of Political Economy at Duke University, a Taylor Fellow in American Literature at University of Virginia’s Harrison Institute, and a Fathman Young Scholar Award recipient.
If you are a scholar, journalist, or teacher who has a question about Mark Twain, his literature, or the field of Mark Twain Studies, please direct your inquiry to Professor Seybold at [email protected].
Dr. Joseph Lemak
Director of Center for Mark Twain Studies
Joe Lemak became Director of CMTS in January 2016. He has served Elmira College in various roles for over two decades, most recently as Director of the Academic Writing Program and the Writing Center. Joe holds a Ph.D. in Classics from State University of New York at Buffalo and teaches a wide range of classes, including European History.
Born and raised in Elmira, Joe is intimately familiar with the local legacy of Twain and his extended family. He has already succeeded in deepening ties between the Center, the College, and other historic institutions like the Park Church and the Chemung Valley Museum, where Joe previously served as editor of the Chemung Historical Journal.
Since taking over as Director, Joe has formalized the Quarry Farm Fellowship process, created the Park Church Summer Lecture Series, revitalized the Quarry Farm symposia, overseen the creation and operation of MarkTwainStudies.org, obtained the digital rights to David Fears’s Mark Twain Day by Day, obtained historical structures reports for Quarry Farm and the Mark Twain Study, and has obtained a cultural landscape report for Quarry Farm. These reports have led to the completion of large-scale preservation projects at Quarry Farm, including major improvements in drainage, the installment of new downspouts and gutters, and the installation of a fire suppression system in 2024. He is also currently leading the first full restoration of the Mark Twain Study. He is a founding member of the Quarry Farm Foundation.
Dr. Lemak organizes the Trouble Begins lecture series, the Quarry Farm Symposia, the Quadrennial Conference, the Summer Teachers Institute, and the Quarry Farm Fellowships. He oversees the Center’s financial and budget matters, including all grant writing and fundraising efforts. He is responsible for the maintenance and preservation of the Mark Twain Exhibit and the Mark Twain Study on the Elmira College campus, and the entire Quarry Farm property.
If you have a question about the operations of CMTS or are interested in donating to the preservation efforts of Quarry Farm and the Mark Twain Study, please contact Director Lemak at [email protected].
Kathleen Galvin
Katy Galvin, an Elmira native, began her career in the Elmira College Library in January of 1987. Working in Technical Services providing Interlibrary Loan and Cataloging services, Kathleen assists students, faculty, staff, and community members in their research. Over the years Kathleen has assisted on many Archival projects. In the Summer of 2020, she began to oversee the Elmira College and Mark Twain Archives as well as the Book Collections at Quarry Farm. In her work for CMTS Kathleen also assists scholars and fellows in their research, hosting some at the Mark Twain Archive at Elmira College. Further, the Mark Twain Archive regularly responds to inquiries from a variety of institutions and persons, nationally and internationally.
Dr. CharLES Mitchell
Professor of American Studies
Charlie Mitchell started his career at Elmira College in August of 1993. Over the years he has taught a wide variety of courses in American history and culture, including courses in environmental history, landscape art and photography, and the social and cultural history of American art and visual culture. He has published a book on the legacy of Ralph Waldo Emerson and essays on a variety of topics, including Shakespeare’s responsibility for the most numerous invasive species in the United States. He lectures regularly on topics relating to public parks, landscape tourism, and the paradoxes and ironies of American attitudes toward nature. When he grows up he wants to be a park ranger or lead backcountry trips in Utah with llamas.
Dr. Barbara E. Snedecor
Director Emerita (Director 2004-2015)
Barbara Snedecor served as Director of the Center for Mark Twain Studies and as assistant professor of American Literature at Elmira College. As Director of CMTS, she expanded the quadrennial conference, initiated the Quarry Farm annual symposium series, initiated the Mark Twain Summer Teachers Institute, and hosted a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminar. She was also responsible for a number of preservation projects at Quarry Farm and the Mark Twain Study, resulting in receiving the Living Heritage Award in 2015 from the Chemung County Chamber of Commerce. In addition to editing the second edition of Mark Twain in Elmira, she has contributed pieces to the Mark Twain Annual and American Literary Realism and is the editor of Gravity: Selected Letters of Olivia Langdon Clemens (University of Missouri Press, 2023).
Gretchen E. Sharlow
Director Emerita (Director 1992-2002)
Gretchen Sharlow served as Director of the Center for Mark Twain Studies and other various roles at Elmira College. She started working for CMTS as a volunteer in 1983. Her M.A. thesis focused on Susan and Theodore Crane. She was instrumental in laying down the groundwork for long-term financial stability at CMTS, and maintaining strong relations with other Twain organizations as well as external institutions, from the Mark Twain Foundation to the local Chemung County Historical Society. She was responsible for a number of successful capital campaigns that led to the renovation of the Quarry Farm Barn and Maid’s Cottage as public lecture spaces. She was also responsible for the growth of the quadrennial conference, increasing its exposure to an international audience.
Steve Webb
Quarry Farm Caretaker
Steve Webb has been resident caretaker at Quarry Farm since the winter of 2013. An Elmira native who spent more than a decade touring the country as bassist for The Nucleus. Steve and his son, Zerek, are the only permanent residents at Quarry Farm. Steve is CMTS’ onsite project manager for all preservation and maintenance projects. He also assists scholars while they are in residence. Steve is an experienced landscaper and repairman with an Associate Degree in Environmental Science from Finger Lakes Community College, as well as a talented composer and musician who frequently performs locally.
Alexander Whydell
Quarry Farm Preservation Associate
Alexander Whydell is the Historic Preservationist at Johnson-Schmidt & Associates, Architects and in 2022 became a Preservation Associate at Quarry Farm. Alexander has followed his love of all things historical through various archaeology and National Register nomination projects, and is always seeking to broaden his experiences in Historic Preservation. Alexander has travelled throughout Europe and likes experimenting with cooking and baking in his spare time.
All CMTS Staff can be reached by emailing [email protected]