I am a Children’s Literature Scholar whose research focuses on girlhood and how the perception of girlhood has been shaped by it’s cultural environment. My main areas of study revolve around girl detectives, specifically Nancy Drew, and how we can track how girlhood is taught to children through how these characters are shaped by time period they are written within. Currently, I am focusing on Vampire fiction aimed at teenage girls and how this cultural Touchstone has shaped the mythos of the female love interest.
I hail from Kalamazoo, Michigan but currently reside in Manhattan, Kansas and serve as an Expository Writing Program for Kansas State University. When I am not researching or info dumping about my projects, I can be found sewing, baking, or crafting.
Education
- Western Michigan University, BA in English: Creative Writing (2016-2020)
- Kansas State University, MA in English: Children’s Literature (2022-2024)
Presentations
- Popular Culture Association 2024: “Enola, Alone: The Girl Detective Archetype Without the Intervention of Masculinity”
- Children’s Literature Association Conference 2024: “Where in the World is Nancy Drew: The Role of Location within Adaptation
- Children’s Literature Association Conference 2025: “Khaki is the New Leather- Fashion and Female Agency in Early Odds Teenage Vampire Romance”
Publications
- “You Need to Snog a Lot of Frogs to Find a Tolerable Prince” – Kansas State English Department Blog
Girl and Sleuth 