About Me

I am a reporter-turned-academic with a drive to learn, to discover, to find things out. In journalism, this means tracking down documents, experts, and people with insight no one else has. In academic research, that means following each piece of information -- whether the meaning of a word, a variation between manuscripts, or the path of exchange of ideas -- to its end: it's a little like untangling knotted up threads by carefully teasing out each fiber.. In teaching, it means instilling in my students the importance of careful research, ethical citation practices, and care for the world around them. In creative storytelling, it means pulling at, stretching, and cutting the invisible sinews that binds human beings together.

 

I live in Pittsburgh with my husband and our dog, Roger Daltrey. I enjoy baking, breakfast, and classic rock. I dislike crowds, lutefisk, and airplanes. ​I once lived on a llama farm.​