In Memoriam: Norah Ashe-McNalley, director of The Writing Program
Norah Ashe-McNalley, professor (teaching) of writing and director of The Writing Program at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, has died. She was 60.
Across her more than two decades at USC Dornsife, Ashe-McNalley taught countless undergraduates how to think critically and articulate ideas in their own voice. As the first faculty director of The Writing Program, USC’s largest department, she deftly navigated structural change and significant expansion.
“Norah was an extraordinary leader and mentor, modeling compassion and care,” says Nicholas De Dominic, associate professor (teaching) of writing. “She loved talking about pedagogy and introduced many of us to a trauma-informed approach to teaching.”
Academic Angeleno
Ashe-McNalley was born in Los Angeles in 1965 to Hilary Ashe ’62, a professor of biochemistry and pharmacology, and Mary Frances, a librarian. The two met at USC when Hilary was completing his PhD in biochemistry from USC Dornsife and Mary Frances was employed at the USC Norris Medical Library.
Ashe-McNalley attended the Area D Alternative School, an early prototype for Los Angeles United School District magnet schools, where she enjoyed sailing and theatre. She completed her bachelor’s degree in English literature at the University of California, Berkeley in 1989 and her PhD in English and American literature at the University of California, Irvine in 1999.
She was immediately recruited by USC Dornsife to join The Writing Program, where she remained employed until her passing. She began first as a senior lecturer, becoming an associate professor in 2011 and a full professor in 2021.
Her creativity and work ethic shaped the program at nearly every level, from curriculum to hiring choices. In 2002, she launched the undergraduate literary journal AngeLingo, subsequently renamed Scribe, alongside Kathi Inman Berens, now a professor of English at Portland State University.
Its website debuted with text reading, “We look to Los Angeles/ for the language we use/ London is dead,” a hometown pride befitting Ashe-McNalley’s status as a lifelong Angeleno, who raised her children in her childhood home.
From 2013-2018 she directed the USC Undergraduate Writers Conference, an event that averages some 500 submissions and over 300 student participants each year.
Stalwart leader
In 2018, she was appointed director of The Writing Program, steering it through expansion and a transition to a faculty-led governance model.
Under her leadership, the program grew from 60 to 80 full-time faculty. Ashe-McNalley made sure to mentor each new arrival. “It’s not that she just brought people here, but once they were here, she worked tirelessly to ensure their success and development,” says De Dominic.
Ashe-McNalley is survived by her children, Finn and Isaac Ashe-McNalley, and her husband, Cody Ashe-McNalley. In recent years, both of her children, now at USC Dornsife as undergraduates, would stop by her office for regular visits. Thanks in part to Ashe-McNalley’s encouragement, more relatives have joined the Trojan Family over the decades, including brother-in-law Jem McNalley ’04 and nephew Ian Ashe Tighe ’20.
Her impact on USC Dornsife and subsequent graduates will continue long into the future. Several of the classes she developed are offered each semester, including Writing 340: Food Studies, a popular course centered around one of her many scholarly interests.
“Norah was thoughtful in every sense, with an understated humor and a clear idea of what was important — for her own family and the Trojan Family. She will be missed by everyone who knew her and by many people who may not realize they are missing her,” said Richard Fliegel, associate dean for undergraduate programs.