About

I am a professor of English, director of the REACH Mellon program, and co-coordinator of the Gender Studies minor at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke where I teach courses on American literature, contemporary U.S. multi-ethnic literature, service-learning, writing, and working-class studies. My interests also include the study of folk music, labor radicalism, and digital humanities. I have published on working-class literature, graphic narratives, Italian American literature, and teaching and learning. Forthcoming work includes a co-edited book on labor and the Federal Writers’ Project and a manuscript on the cultural legacy of Sacco and Vanzetti.

I value the lived experiences of working people and am a practitioner of community-based learning. As a first-generation college student and working-class academic, I strive to raise awareness about the needs of first-generation college students and promote social belonging on college campuses. I also serve as a mentor for graduate students and junior faculty in the Working-Class Studies Association.

My experience as an educational consultant have included the development of online learning, designing public humanities curriculum, and promoting civic engagement in the classroom. Feel free to contact me to for public speaking engagements and writing workshops both in person and online.