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Professional Bio:
I joined the West Texas A&M University (WTAMU) faculty in 2006. I earned a B.F.A. in theatrical performance from Auburn University, an M.A. in English (2000) from the University of Georgia, and a Ph.D. in English (2005) from the University of Georgia.
I teach courses in Romantic and Victorian British literature at the undergraduate and graduate level with a particular focus on poetry, as well as introductory literature and writing courses. I am the former Director of the Office of Writing Programs at WTAMU (2013-2018).
In 2023, I received the WTAMU Distinguished Innovation in Teaching Award. In 2024-25, I served as a Canvas Migration Faculty Mentor to help my university transition our LMS from Blackboard to Canvas.
My academic research interests center on 19th-century British poetry, working-class poetry and autobiography, feminist theory, the Bible as literature, the Gothic, and open educational resources. I am a publishing poet. I hold certifications from ACUE and the THECB OER Advanced Skills Academy.
I am the editor of Victorian Poetry and Poetics, an open-access digital anthology and scholarly publishing project devoted to Victorian poetry, literary history, and criticism. Developed as both an anthology and an editorial research laboratory, VPP supports original scholarship, student editorial work, and public-facing humanities publication.
In 2024, I began working with Dr. Shanna Peeples from WTAMU on the Route 66 Place-Based Writing Project. This project has been supported by generous grants from the Harrington Foundation, the Amarillo Area Foundation, and the Kilgore Research Center at West Texas A&M University.
In April 2026, I completed three years of seminary training through the Episcopal Diocese of Northwest Texas School of Ordained Ministry, a member of the IONA Collaborative through the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas. In June 2026, I was ordained to the transitional diaconate at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Amarillo, Texas.
I am a proud founding member of the American Association of University Professors chapter at WTAMU.
Personal Bio:
I'm from Georgia originally, with pit stops in Alabama, New York City, Buffalo, Long Island, and Connecticut, finally getting to Texas in 2006. Along the way, I worked as an actor, an advertising exec, a retail manager, a high school teacher, and a librarian, before finally figuring out what I wanted to be when I grew up: an English professor.
My husband Dr. David Hart (who teaches Logic and Philosophy at WTAMU) and I have been married for twenty-six years. We met in graduate school on the first day of our Shakespeare class. It’s a wonderfully romantic story that I undoubtedly share at the beginning of every semester with my students. Those who dislike sentiment find this moment challenging, I’m sure, and I appreciate their indulgence!
Our son Jeremy is eighteen years old and super into history, writing, cooking, and strength training. To say that he is the light of our lives is a gigantic understatement.
We are also the proud pet-parents of Dougall, a five year old pit bull and Cheese Poirot, a four year old orange tabby cat. Both are horribly entitled and very spoiled. I take full responsibility.
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