Imagine scrolling through social media on your phone and seeing a professor you pass every day on your way to class. Would it be surprising for a video about feuds between famous writers to be entertaining, thought-provoking and actually make you want to read a literary novel?
TJ Martinson, English professor at Murray State since 2021, teaches creative writing, English graduate program and literature courses. Beyond making lesson plans and academic papers, Martinson is a fiction writer and, recently, a social media content creator.
Martinson began making videos on the social media platform TikTok as a way of advertising his work. He said the idea of “selling yourself” on social media still feels gross, but writers still need a way to get their work noticed. His popular video series called “literary diss tracks” started when he compared the feud between rappers Drake and Kendrick Lamar to literary figures Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner.
“I go through different literary beefs throughout history, which to me is the most fun thing in the world,” Martinson said. “That, to me, doesn’t feel like work when I’m making those videos. I love drama, and I love literature. It joins my absolute favorite things.”
Martinson said his videos will sometimes get comments about how affirming it is to see a white professor taking an interest in authors of color and their works, though he knows that is more about the state of literary culture than praise for him.
“I think people really are interested in different perspectives in literature and in diverse literature,” he said. “It’s been affirming for me to connect with people who are into the same things and want to have complex conversations about art and culture. It’s been really tremendous, and it makes me feel like the world isn’t as on fire as it is.”
His short-form video content teaches and entertains, but more importantly, it is a good introduction to Martinson’s humor, style and interests. Someone who enjoys his videos may find a good read in his debut novel and upcoming publications.
The concept for Martinson’s first novel, “The Reign of the Kingfisher” (2019), came to him in 2016. He said a simultaneous advancement of the Black Lives Matter movement and the popularity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies made him interested in the odd tension between criticizing those in power in the real world and celebrating fictional superheroes.
“I think we are drawn to outsourcing our own moral judgment to say, ‘you get to decide what’s right and wrong,’” Martinson said. “The superhero can do that, and they are gonna exercise it correctly because they’re a superhero. Then we see in the real world, when you give people too much power, there’s the harm that it causes.”
Zoe Knight, senior English literature major, has been reading “The Reign of the Kingfisher” this semester. She said she enjoys the detailed and immersive language, chapter titles and well-maintained characterization the book offers.
“What I’ve read so far is great,” Knight said. “I’m hesitant to say it’s amazing because I know he won’t let it go when he reads this. But in all seriousness, he is an amazing writer.”
Martinson has two upcoming books: “Her New Eyes” in May 2025, and “Blood River Witch” in June 2026. “Her New Eyes,” published by Clash Books, is a surreal science fiction story about a 68-year-old florist transforming into Marilyn Monroe after an eye replacement surgery and trying to resurrect the iconic American actress’s career in the 21st century. “Blood River Witch” is a detective procedural set in western Kentucky. Martinson said it was the first book he started writing after moving here and becoming “really taken with the region.”
Between pop culture, sci-fi and crime dramas, Martinson called his interests a “weird hodgepodge” of genres that translates to his creative work and his teaching.
“I love getting to not just teach it, but also see what students are interested in with writing,” he said. “I feel like that’s always an evolving thing, getting to see what the younger generation is excited about. Storytelling is pretty cool for me.”
