AUM English professor earns prestigious literary scholarship award

An Auburn University at Montgomery faculty member has earned the 2026 Eugene Current-Garcia Award for Distinction in Literary Scholarship from the Association of College English Teachers of Alabama.

Seth T. Reno, professor of English and Distinguished Teaching Professor, received the honor for his dedication to research and creative work in literary studies. He joins a distinguished list of AUM faculty members who have received the award, including Nancy Anderson, Robert C. Evans, Alan Gribben and Eric Sterling.

The award is presented annually and recognizes Alabamians who have distinguished themselves as men and women of letters through outstanding scholarly reflection and writing on literary topics. It also reflects the respect of a scholar’s peers in the academic community and highlights the lasting importance of the pursuit of knowledge and literature’s contributions to culture.

Since joining AUM in 2013, Reno has built an extensive record of scholarship and creative work. He has published six books and critical editions, along with 18 journal articles and book chapters and 10 book reviews. His work has also been widely shared through keynote lectures, conference presentations and invited talks.

Reno’s research and creative activity have earned numerous recognitions and funding support. He has secured 31 grants totaling more than $60,000 and was named AUM’s Distinguished Research Associate Professor in 2020 and Distinguished Teaching Professor in 2024.

In addition, he was named a 2025 Cauthen Fellow by the Alabama Folklife Association and served as the organization’s inaugural writer-in-residence at Auburn University. He also received a 2026 Folk Arts Apprenticeship Award from the Alabama State Council on the Arts.

Reno is currently working on two book projects and several essays exploring topics ranging from eighteenth-century industrial literature to twenty-first-century experimental banjo music.