Pauls Toutonghi

Professor of English

Miller 425, MSC: 58
Office Hours:

Spring 2026: Email for appointment.

PAULS TOUTONGHI is a first-generation American. He has been awarded a Pushcart Prize, and he has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times, Virginia Quarterly Review, Granta, Tin House, and numerous other periodicals. His book Dog Gone — a non-fiction narrative — was published by Knopf in 2016.   The Refugee Ocean (Simon & Schuster, October 2023) his latest novel, grapples with what it means to be an immigrant, shows how wounds can heal, and highlights the role of music and art in the resilience of the human spirit. 

News Stories

English, faculty event, faculty 

Pauls Toutonghi’s New Novel Named a Barnes & Noble ‘Discover Pick’

Professor of English Pauls Toutonghi’s newest novel, The Refugee Ocean, has been named one of Barnes & Noble’s “Discover Picks of the Month” for October. Toutonghi will discuss the book at Powell’s City of Books on Sunday, October 15, at 7 p.m.

points of pride 

A Family Story: From Book to Film

Pauls Toutonghi’s book about the emotionally charged search for a family dog is the basis for an upcoming movie on Netflix.

Comings and Goings, Important Notices, points of pride 

An Ode To Joy: Toutonghi’s Tribute to Banasek

Associate Professor of English Pauls Toutonghi looks back at the profound and good-humored contributions of Terri Banasek’s career.
points of pride 

Dr. Toutonghi Awarded Travel Grant

The William & Mary Libraries have awarded Dr. Pauls Toutonghi a Special Collections Research Travel Grant.
 

Honoring His Grandfather’s Journey in The New Yorker

For Associate Professor of English Pauls Toutonghi, his grandfather’s journey from Aleppo, Syria to the United States in the mid-twentieth century provides powerful inspiration. Toutonghi tells his grandfather’s story in The New Yorker in a just-published essay, “Leaving Aleppo.”  

Location: Miller Hall