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Associate Professor of English & Women's and Gender Studies, Drake University

A Southern California native, I earned my undergraduate degree in English from Humboldt State University in Northern California. I then moved to the deep south where I completed my Ph.D. at Louisiana State University. My research interests focus on popular culture, young adult literature, feminist theory, and women's studies.

I have an ongoing obsession with horror films, which began when my brother forced me (at age 12) to watch George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. Along with my love of zombies and powerful women in horror films, I am continually intrigued by the amorphous classification(s) of cultural productions as either "high" or "low" forms of art. Is it "literature" or "fiction" or a "trashy novel?" Interrogation of these troublesome labels is an ongoing preoccupation.

Experience

  • –present
    Associate Professor of English, Drake University

Education

  • 2009 
    Drake University, Arts & Sciences Teacher of the Year
  • 2003 
    Louisiana State University, Best Feminist Dissertation

Publications

  • 2009
    Learning Curves, Scarecrow Press
  • 2003
    NWSA Journal, Pleasure, Pain, and the Power of Being Thin
  • 2001
    Not Quite White, Rosebud

Grants and Contracts

  • 2008
    Summer Research Grant
    Role:
    Funding Source:
    American Association of University Women

Professional Memberships

  • NCTE, Alan, AAUP