Assistant Professor

English

The first time that I felt "seen" while reading literature was in college when I first encountered African American literature, specifically the work of W.E.B. DuBois. In many ways, everything that I do is about sustaining that moment of recognition and empowering others to have such experiences themselves. My work, broadly, is on immigration and contemporary North American literature and driven by questions about citizenship, belonging, displacement, and colonialism. Hence, I work on and teach authors like Edwidge Danticat, Louise Erdrich, Gwendolyn Brooks, Thi Bui, Mai Der Vang, and Luis Valdez. I'm especially interested in Southeast Asian American literature and Critical Refugee Studies and, so, I teach the courses on Asian American literature with an eye towards careful examinations of race, gender, class, and war and trauma. I'm currently working on a book that finds beauty and strength in what has often been deemed as "problematic" about Southeast Asian Americans. The next project that I'm already dreaming about is a full study of Hmong American literature.

I grew up in the Front Range, so teaching at Colorado College is a sort of homecoming. After years living in Northern CO, where I attended Colorado State University for my B.A., and in the Midwest, where I earned my M.A. and PhD at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and where I taught at Allegheny College (Northwest PA) for six years, I'm happy to be back among mountains, family, and a Hmong community. Beyond the thrill of being back in CO, I'm very eager to be part of the CC community and, especially, to work with first-generation college students.

When you see me outside of the classroom, I'll most likely have my two young kids in tow. We, including my partner Patrick, love enjoying the outdoors, especially biking. I also love to cook, travel, attend concerts, and, of course, read. In my free-er days, I was quite a cinephile, but I mostly watch Peppa Pig and Daniel Tiger these days. I still make time for T.V., so come see me if you ever want to chat about why Jim Halpert is a terrible person. Bonus if you'd like to do this in Hmong or French!