Simone C. Drake

Simone Drake is the Hazel C. Youngberg Trustees Distinguished Professor of English at The Ohio State University. I am also a faculty affiliate and instructor at the Moritz College of Law. I have earned degrees in Classical Studies (BA), English Literature (BA, MA, PhD), French (BA minor), Black Studies (MA), and Law (MSL). She is an engaged interdisciplinary researcher who focuses on the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, class, and nation in cultural and legal studies. She is the author of numerous books, journal articles, and book chapters. I am the executive producer of the feature documentary Shutdown, which has been adopted for curricular use by K-12 school districts and colleges and universities. She was the Alisa Mellon Bruce Visiting Senior Fellow at the Center for the Advanced Study in the Visual Arts at the National Gallery of Art where she conducted research on her forthcoming book, "Becoming Educated: A Midwest Story" (June 2026).