She received her Ph.D. in English literature from the University of Washington, and is delighted to find herself on the West Coast and not too far from the lovely Pacific Northwest. Her research areas focus on Victorian literature and culture, with specific interests in Victorian reading theory and practice, education, print culture, and the development of literary criticism. She is currently working on a book manuscript about the role of reading in Victorian liberal discourses. Her other reading and teaching interests include speculative fiction and the graphic novel.