Research Interests
I remember being in third grade and picking up a copy of Lowis Lowrey's The Giver from the library. Later that same year, my teacher had us read it as a class. That was when my love of dystopias began, and it continued through high school with the young adult genre. These stories were fast paced, felt close to the narrator, and gave me hope, even as adults talked about dystopias as hope-less.
What seemed like a disparity between my dystopian expereince and everyone else's led to my research of the dystopian genre. I ask questions like "What is the connection between dystopias and politics?" "What aspects of the young adult genre interests young readers?" "Why do some readers see dystopias as inherently hopeful, and others see dystopias as inherently depressing?" "What is the political value of a dystopia?" "How can dystopias be used in the classroom?" "How do dystopias subvert societal constructs like gender roles?" "Why did the dystopian revolution of strong female leads begin?" "Why are people now tired of the Strong Female Lead?"
Academic Publications
Perspectives on Undergraduate Research and Mentoring