Three degrees, six states, and 20 years later, I am happy to be back at my alma mater as an assistant professor of English where I teach courses in writing and literature and advise first-year students for the Dover campus of the UD Associate in Arts Program. 

My book on father-daughter incest and CPTSD in twentieth-century American literature was recently published with Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. I've published articles on works including Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, Azar Nafisi's Reading Lolita in Tehran, and Dorothy Allison's Bastard Out of Carolina. My most recent article on Kay Boyle's and Katherine Anne Porter's contribution to transition was published in South Central Review. I am currently researching for my second book, which focuses on fiction by African women writers.

I serve as president of the Katherine Anne Porter Society and a Nominations Elections Committee and Advisory Board Member of the Society for the Study of American Women Writers. Additionally, I've participated with Open Streets Dover, Delaware Department of Natural Resources coastal events, and College Application Month. My one-year-old golden retriever, Callie Russell (named for Katherine Anne Porter), sometimes accompanies me to these community services.