About

I got my first job teaching as an instructor of English as a Foreign Language in Lisbon, Portugal in 1990 and have been teaching English language, writing, and literature more or less continuously since. After Portugal, I obtained my PhD in American Studies from the University of Iowa. I then taught at Skidmore College for one year and DePaul University for nine. I came to Loyola in 2012 and teach both writing and literature courses. In my writing courses, I emphasize how precise thinking and precise writing are mutually reinforcing endeavors, while in my literature courses I strive to help students understand the role that language plays in our lives and how the stories we tell shape the people we become.

Degrees

• AB, Dartmouth College
• MA, University of Iowa
• PhD, University of Iowa

Research Interests

• Contemporary American Fiction
• Autobiography and Memoir
• Literary Reception
• Rhetoric and Composition