I was raised in the heart of the Ozark Mountains by a large, loud, and laughter-filled family. The first question I often get is how an Ozark Arkansan ended up as a medievalist - a question I've never fully understood. Not only did I grow up in a community that loves stories and history, but my Ozark background was fundamental in shaping my research. I study the myriad ways pre-modern culture connected gender and speech and how these biases were weaponized against marginalized communities. How people are represented, who gets to speak, and which stories we tell - these matter. The way that folks are represented in the stories told about them is all about power, for both the Ozarks and medieval England.

These days, I'm an Ozark emigrant. I live in South Bend with my sister, our cat, and our forest of houseplants. I'm currently in the process of writing my doctoral dissertation, "You Sound Like a Wif: The Representation of Women's Speech in Old English Literature," at the University of Notre Dame. We plaster our walls with Arkansas memorabilia - Go Hogs! - but still love our local community here in South Bend, even when the winters get a bit too frosty for this Ozark expat.