Biography

I have been an active member of HU's Department of English since fall 2017. I also have taught in Georgetown University's Department of English since fall 2006. My teaching and scholarship focus on perception/truth/justice and intersectionality as a lens for character study in global literature of 19th C through current time. I love engaging students in experiential learning. I am married to a philosophy scholar/university professor and poet and we have three grown children - a neurosurgeon, artist and art professor, and a playwright/composer/theatre director. I am an avid reader and world traveler and patron of all the Arts. I play both violin and piano. Rocky sea cliffs and gardens of all kinds are draws for me of the natural world. I follow NBA's Milwaukee Bucks, WNBA's NYC Liberty, and MLB's Baltimore Orioles and Milwaukee Brewers. I am a city dweller but also love rural sojourns (my grandfather had a farm of produce and livestock in western Michigan that I frequented while growing up). I was born in Pasadena, California, grew up in the midwest near Chicago where I also attended graduate school and enjoyed my first teaching post before moving to the DMV where my husband and I had the honor and joy of being a part of our three children's youth. A few words that capture some of my personality as well as values: curious, imaginative, honest, passionate, intentional, and an enthusiastic door opener for others. I truly enjoy writing papers - that often become published book chapters - that I frequently deliver in international conferences as I am inspired by conversations enjoyed with those from all over the world.