education

Ph.D. in English with a concentration in Children’s and Adolescent Literature and Culture, Multiethnic Literature, and Gender and Women’s Studies, University of Florida, expected Spring 2010

Dissertation Title: “The Transracial Transnational Politics of Cute and Kawaii” directed by Kenneth Kidd

Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies, University of Florida, 2006

M.A. in English Literature, California State University Los Angeles, 2004

B.A. in English, Mount Saint Mary’s College, Los Angeles, 2000

honors

  • California State University CDIP Mini-Grant 2010
  • Henry Darger Study Center Fellowship 2009
  • University of Florida Alumni Fellowship, 2004-2008
  • Multiculturalism and Diversity Campus Scholar-Teacher Award, 2008
  • Children’s Literature Assn. Hannah Beiter Student Research Grant, 2007
  • California State University Chancellor’s Doctoral Incentive Program Award, 2004-2007
  • University of Florida Graduate Student Council Travel Grant, 2004 & 2005
  • University of Florida English Department Travel Grant, 2004 & 2005
  • California State University, Los Angeles Alumni Association Scholarship, 2004
  • Sally Casanova California Pre-Doctoral Scholar, 2003-2004
  • California State University, Los Angeles Emeriti Association Fellowship, 2003-2004
  • Dorothy McKenzie Memorial Scholarship for Children’s Literature, 2003
  • Graduate Equity Fellowship, 2003-2004
  • California State University, Los Angeles Travel Grant, 2003
  • Mount Saint Mary’s College Academic Dean’s Honor List, 1999-2000

Publications

Museum wall labels for the American Folk Art Museum’s exhibition “The Private Collection of Henry Darger.” New York. Through September 19, 2010.

Review: The Japanification of Children’s Popular Culture: From Godzilla to Miyazaki, ed. by Mark I. West,  The Lion and the Unicorn, 34:1 (January 2010): 119-123.

Review: Little Boy: The Arts of Japan’s Exploding Subculture, ed. by Takashi Murakami, Children’s Literature Association Quarterly 31.1 (Spring 2006): 93-97.

“Los Angeles.” Historical Encyclopedia of Prostitution. Ed. Melissa Hope Ditmore.Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, August 2006.

radio publications

“Soothing Sounds for Babies.” Recess! WUFT, Gainesville, FL. 19 June. 2006. Transcript. <http://www.recess.ufl.edu/transcripts/2007/0619.shtml>

“Little Boy.” Recess! WUFT, Gainesville, FL. 10 May. 2006. Transcript.<http://www.recess.ufl.edu/transcripts/2006/0510.shtml>.

“Seen Art?” Recess! WUFT, Gainesville, FL. 19 July. 2005. Transcript.<http://www.recess.ufl.edu/transcripts/2005/0719.shtml>.

“Keba Keba.” Recess! WUFT, Gainesville, FL. 14 October. 2004. Transcript.<http://www.recess.ufl.edu/transcripts/2004/1014.shtml>.

presentations

Organizer and Chair, “Japanese ‘Kawaii’/’Cute’ Children’s Culture 1995-Now.” Modern Language Association, panel of the Children’s Literature Division. Chicago, Illinois, December 2007.

“Henry Darger, the Blengiglomenean Serpent: The Queer Artist, The Wizard of Oz, and Cuteness.” Children’s Literature Association. Los Angeles, California, June 2006.

“The Politics of ‘Cute’ in the Art of Aya Takano and Chiho Aoshima.” Graduate Student Council Forum. University of Florida, March 2006.

“Some make-believe must be where women strive’: Michael Field’s Trilogy of Plays The World at Auction, Race of Leaves, and Julia Domna.” North American Victorian Studies Association. Charlottesville, Virginia, September 2005.

“Performing Art and Audience: Fine Artist Takashi Murakami’s First Children’s Picture Book Keba Keba.” Children’s Literature Association. Winnipeg, Manitoba, June 2005.

“’Pornography’ and ‘Cuteness’ as Post War Trauma in Contemporary Japanese Culture: Fine Artist Takashi Murakami’s First Children’s Picture Book Keba Keba.” English Graduate Organization Conference: Constellations of Youth: Intersecting Adults’ and Children’s Culture. University of Florida, October 2004.

“Why is There No Lesbian Sex in Victorian Literary Criticism?” QGrad: A Graduate Student Conference on Sexuality and Gender. University of California Los Angeles, November 2003.

“Gay and Lesbian Children’s Picture Books.” Children’s Literature Association. El Paso, Texas, June 2003.

“Michael Field: Decadence in Race of Leaves.” Significations: California State University Humanities Graduate Conference. Los Angeles, California, 2004.

“Victor’s Blow-Up Doll: Homoerotic Tragedy in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Significations: California State University Humanities Graduate Conference. Los Angeles, California, 2003.

courses devised and taught

The Golden Age of Children’s Literature — Upper level Literature course, University of Florida. This class examined the “Golden Age” of children’s literature in Britain and the U.S. — from The Swiss Family Robinson (1812) to The Secret Garden (1911) and Peter Pan (1911) — even as it questioned the very conceit of a golden age. A key component was looking at the important periodical for which many authors wrote, St. Nicholas, in the University of Florida’s Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature. Christina Rossetti, Louisa May Alcott, Anna Sewell’s Black Beauty. Kate Greenaway (feminized) Queer fairy tales: Hans Christian Andersen, Oscar Wilde. Joel Chanlder Harris’ Nights with Uncle Remus. U.C. Knoepflmacher’s feminist study.

Asian & Asian Diasporic Childhoods 1930-2008 — Required for the interdisciplinary Asian American Studies Certificate, University of Florida. This course grappled with the definitions of childhood and how those definitions applied to what Edward Said writes is the “Oriental” subject. We examined texts from Iran, Vietnam, Japan and Asian America, including Yukio Mishima’s Confessions of a Mask, Maxine Hong Kingston’s The Woman Warrior, and Gene Luen Yang’s American Born Chinese. A Gift of the Emperor by Therese Park, Last Night I Dreamed of Peace: The Diary of Dang Thuy Tram. Spirited Away. Joane Nagel “Sex and War: Fighting Men, Comfort Women, and the Military-Sexual Complex; Nguyen, Mimi “Viet Nam: Journey/Journal

The Element of Cute in International Children’s Culture 1890 – 2006 — World Literature, University of Florida. This class explored “cute” as a vehicle to explore gender, race, nationality, hetero/homo/transsexualities, trauma, subversion, imperialism, and war. Texts included Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis, Hayao Miyazaki’s film Kiki’s Delivery Service, and the picture books The Story of Babar and Little Black Sambo. Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren (Sweden),

Freshman Composition English 101 — California State University, Los Angeles.

Freshman Composition English English 100 – California State University, Los Angeles. one unit, credit/no credit English 101 supplement.

Freshman Composition English English 96 – California State University, Los Angeles. Basic Writing.

additional teaching experience

California State University, Los Angeles English 430: “Children’s Literature.” I guest lectured on the history of counting books (Ten Little Injuns, Ten Little Niggers, Ten Little Jappy Chaps) and U.S. race history, touching on concepts including institutionalized racism. Spring, 2009.

University of Florida AML 2410: “Issues in American Literature and Culture: Gay Male Adolescent Literature.” For two class sessions, I guest taught Dennis Cooper’s novel Closer (1989). Fall, 2005.

CSULA English 430: “Children’s Literature” Graduate Student Assistant. Lectured and provided PowerPoint presentations on, for example, African-American children’s picture books, and children’s literature awards. Took attendance and graded exams, papers, and weekly Internet postings for lecture course of approximately 50-75 students. Facilitated discussions for smaller groups of 4-20 students.

CSULA University Writing Center Tutor and Writing Proficiency Exam Consultant: One-on-one tutoring “across the curriculum” for undergraduate and graduate students. Conducted and facilitated workshops for 2-35 students on topics including the Writing Proficiency Exam, Proofreading, Grammar, ESL, and Conversation Lab.

CSULA University Tutorial Center: Multiple subjects tutoring. Tutor certification by the College Reading and Learning Association.

university service

After designing the course “Asian and Asian Diasporic Childhoods 1930-2008,” the course was added to the University of Florida’s list of required courses for the undergraduate Asian American Studies Certificate.

I designed and curated the art exhibition “The East of West: Florida Enchantments & Victorian Tourism,” which was displayed Feb 20-Mar 31, 2006 at the Grinter Gallery in conjunction with the International 18th and 19th century British Women Writer’s Conference. I borrowed art objects from the Harn Museum of Art and the private collection of Rita Smith, director of the University of Florida’s Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature. I chose the concept and art objects, and arranged the printing of fliers.

I organized the film screening of artist Renee Green’s Some Chance Operations (1999) and Partially Buried Continued (1997) in preparation for the conference Art in the Age of Globalization: Directions in Contemporary Art since 1989. I arranged the purchase of the films by the University of Florida’s Architecture and Fine Arts Library, as well as the sponsorship of the Black Graduate Student Organization.

Member of the Feminist Reading Group, the Marxist Reading Group, the English Graduate Organization, and Graduate Assistants United.

service to the profession

Member of the Modern Language Association (since 2006)

Member of the Children’s Literature Association (since 2003)

Reader for Children’s Literature Association Quarterly