David Blake, Ph.D.
Professor of English, The College of New Jersey
David Blake is a professor of English at The College of New Jersey and the author of books on Walt Whitman, Herman Melville, and presidential history. He was first introduced to the public humanities in 1987 when he received an NEH grant to study modern poetry with eleven other high school teachers.
David’s experience as a grant applicant makes him especially proud of the Council’s outreach programs throughout the state. At its core, he believes, the humanities are about how individuals and communities make meaning for themselves. Many people understand what is significant in their own lives, but in a democracy, the humanities have the vital role of teaching us to value how others make meaning as well.
