UNC English Professor Florence Dore primarily spends her Tuesdays and Thursdays teaching students about Southern fiction and songwriting. But when Dore isn’t in the classroom, she’s spending her time preparing for the release of her third rock record.
Dore is an award-winning singer and songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee. She’s released two records, written books and spoke at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Now, she’s working on her third album, “Hold the Spark.”
“I have always been interested in both [teaching and music],” Dore said.
Dore, who is also a tenured professor at UNC, said that being able to produce creative writing like music gives her a better insight into the art form.
Throughout her educational career, from an undergraduate studying English to obtaining her doctorate in the same field, music was always important to Dore, who would consistently perform songs and do shows.
Dore said she took a break from producing records to raise her daughter. She began releasing music again after her daughter went to college.
She said she feels finding a balance between teaching and songwriting is easier now that she’s a full professor — but she puts emphasis on ensuring that her students come first.
“Anytime I have time to myself, I’m either writing my book or an article, or doing some administrative work or doing music,” she said. “So just picking and choosing, it’s a really nice position to be in.”
UNC sophomore Emilyn Bishop is taking English 409: Lyrics & Lyricists: A Collaborative Exploration of the Processes of Popular-Song Lyric Writing with Dore this semester.
