Brett McInelly joined the BYU English Department in 2000 after completing his PhD at the University of Cincinnati. He specializes in eighteenth-century British literature, the British novel, and composition pedagogy.

Born in Wichita, Kansas, Professor McInelly spent the majority of his childhood living in several states, in addition to a few foreign countries. The son of an Air Force fighter pilot, he lived in Florida, Washington, Virginia, California, Turkey, and Germany. His family settled in Farmington, Utah, shortly before he started high school. He served a church mission in the Korea Seoul West Mission from 1987 to 1989. Upon returning from his mission, he enrolled at Weber State University, graduating in 1992 with a degree in English. He earned an MA in English from BYU in 1995 and a PhD from the University of Cincinnati in 2000. He and his wife, Kristin, are the parents of five children. In his free time, he enjoys sports, hunting, fishing, and movies.