Research Interests: I write about issues related to intellectual and artistic freedom. Right now, I am working on a project about controversial children’s and young adult (YA) books. Sometimes these books get cancelled before publication. Other times they get pulled from distribution or library circulation. In all cases, they provoke outrage. I am also interested in issues of free speech on college campuses. While I am in the English department, I work with sociologists in the Social Dynamics Lab. Right now, my colleagues and I are designing social experiments to illuminate why people take offense to literature. 

About me: I grew up in the Boston area. I am a first-generation college student. I got my undergraduate degree in English at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Before coming to Cornell, I was a visiting fellow in the history department at Harvard University, where I was part of their Program on the Study of Capitalism. I like to weightlift, meditate, hike, and watch standup comedy. I am also a huge fan of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. I am a pescatarian, and I love to try new food. My favorite writers include Chuck Palahniuk, David Sedaris, and Adolph Reed Jr.