Katherine Crassons, associate professor of English, has been named the recipient of the 2025 Bonnie Wheeler Fellowship, one of the most prestigious grants for medievalists. The fellowship, which includes a $25,000 stipend and mentorship from a distinguished scholar, will support Crassons as she completes her book, Signs of Wonder: Faith, Ethics, and Epistemology in Medieval and Early Modern England.

Crassons’ forthcoming book explores the contradictions and complexities surrounding miracles and belief in medieval and early modern literature. Through poetry, drama, and prose written before and after the Reformation, her work examines how medieval audiences reacted to biblical miracle stories and supernatural occurrences depicted in religious texts. She investigates key questions about how premodern individuals understood faith in relation to events that challenged the limits of believability, both in their own time and in historical retrospect.

The Bonnie Wheeler Fellowship, established in honor of esteemed medievalist Bonnie Wheeler, is designed to cultivate women as academic leaders. It provides critical support for tenured women medievalists who have remained at the associate professor rank for an extended period, helping them advance to full professor. The fellowship not only offers financial assistance but also pairs recipients with a mentor who provides guidance throughout the research and writing process.

“In Professor Crassons, we see a hard-working and productive scholar with a great and achievable project,” said Anne Yardley, chair of the selection committee and retired faculty member of Drew Theological School. “We believe that the Wheeler Fellowship will provide the necessary support for her to complete her book and attain the rank of full professor.” The committee also praised Crassons for her steady publication record, outstanding teaching evaluations, and her leadership as Director of Lehigh University Press.

Her research focuses on late medieval literature and culture with particular emphasis on religion. She has also written extensively on disability studies, often making connections between medieval and modern society and addressing such topics as poverty, Christian subjectivity, and neurodiversity. 

Crassons earned a BA in English and Spanish from Louisiana State University, an MA from the University of Colorado-Boulder, and a PhD in English from Duke University. She joined Lehigh University’s faculty in 2004 and has served as Director of Lehigh University Press since 2014.