Irvington native honored with Cal State LA’s Outstanding Professor Award

LOS ANGELES, CA — Michael Calabrese, a professor of English in the College of Arts and Letters at California State University, Los Angeles, was recognized for excellence in teaching and outstanding achievements during the 2022 university convocation. 

Calabrese was presented an Outstanding Professor Award on Aug. 18 for his significant achievements in scholarly inquiry and creativity, as well as professional activities and community service. 

A reputable scholar and educator, Calabrese teaches medieval literature, global classical literature, Italian American literature and a variety of classes in the medieval narrative. His research is focused on Chaucer, Langland, Middle English literature, medieval continental authors, manuscript studies and electronic editing. He has authored numerous papers and articles and has presented at national, international and regional conferences on these topics. 

His most recent achievement is translating the medieval English poem “Piers Plowman.” This work was informed by his theory and practice of multicultural teaching and his efforts to relate and bring medieval literature to global reading communities interested in social justice narratives from ancient cultures. He has been frequently invited as a guest lecturer at other colleges and universities. 

As a first-generation college student born in Irvington, Calabrese remains humbled and honored to work in the Cal State LA community with a predominantly first-generation student body, helping and empowering his students to fulfill their dreams. He has mentored numerous graduate students, teaching them about the stages of writing and submitting peer-reviewed work to professional journals. 

Calabrese is also co-director of the Chaucer Studio, a nonprofit organization that produces quality recorded performances of medieval literature in various languages for classroom use and scholarly study. 

A Cal State LA faculty member since 1994, Calabrese received his bachelor’s degree in English from Columbia University and his Master of Arts and Ph.D. in English from the University of Virginia.