I am a PhD Candidate in the English Department at Western Michigan University, working on my dissertation, which examines portrayals of physical movement in Old English and Old Norse-Icelandic literature. I have an MA in Medieval English Literatures from the University of York, UK, and a BA in Publishing Studies and Dance Performance from Illinois State University. My research often focuses on gender, the body, and sexuality in early medieval literature, particularly that of northwestern Europe, but I am also interested in Modernism, World War I poetry, medievalisms, the body in literature, and women's history and writing more generally.
At Western Michigan University, I have taught Thought and Writing (freshman composition), Literary Interpretation, and British Literature I. In my teaching, I aim to design learning activities that take into account all learning types, to provide students with skills that can be transferred into their individual majors and career paths, and to help students enjoy reading and understand literature in new ways.
I have worked as a freelance editor since 2010, providing copy editing, proofreading, and fact checking services to a variety of customers, both academic and trade. I have experience working with Chicago, MLA, and APA style manuals.
I also enjoy performing in Early Music Michigan, an early music choir based in Kalamazoo, MI. I was a member of Illinois State University's pre-professional dance company, Illinois State Dance Theater, and have continued choreographing in concert dance and musical/historical theater performances since graduating from Illinois State, including a full-length work titled "Cosmic Dance" in conjunction with Early Music Michigan. Performed at the first Mostly Medieval Theatre Festival in 2017, this is a music and dance performance based on the life and music of the twelfth-century mystic and visionary Hildegard of Bingen, combining ancient music with contemporary dance and interpreting Hildegard’s vision for a new age.