Before coming to Guttman, Dr. Mellis taught at William Paterson University in Wayne, NJ, Temple University in Philadelphia, PA and St. Bonaventure University in Olean, NY. Dr. Mellis earned a B.A. in English from Colgate University, a M.Phil in Anglo-Irish Literature from Trinity College, Dublin and a PhD in English from Tulane University in New Orleans, LA. He considers himself fortunate that his educational pursuits have brought him to fascinating cities and culture that continue to shape his work and life.His dissertation, entitled “Writing Blackface: African-American and Jewish Writers in the Jazz Age” examined cross-cultural creation, imitation and appropriation by Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston and Fannie Hurst in their work.