I received my PhD in Comparative Literature from Indiana University, Bloomington with a Graduate Area Certificate in Medieval Studies and a minor from the English Department focusing on Medieval British Languages (Old Irish, Middle Welsh, and Middle English).

I hold a Certificate of Proficiency (History of the Manuscript) from the University of Virginia’s Rare Book School and have taken coursework at the University of London's Rare Book School as well as the École nationale de Chartes. 

I have worked in, and for, Special Collections since 2015, with various professional experiences in Indiana University's Lilly Library and Moving Image Archive; the University of Manchester's John Rylands Library; the University of Kentucky's Margaret I. King Library; the Portico Library of Manchester; and, the University of Cambridge, Pembroke College Library. 

I love words, written, spoken, and printed. 

When I read Dante's reverence for the power of language, expressed in De vulgari eloquentia and later in La Commedia, I understood my own relationship with words. Having published my first short story when I was 15, I began my academic career with a concentration in Creative Writing  in the Department of English at the University of Florida, where I specialized in Creative Non-Fiction and Prose. 

Growing up in Florida, I was enrolled in Spanish classes from Kindergarten through senior year of high school. My passion for learning langauges set in when I became determined to learn Italian.  During my time at the University of Florida, I was able to learn Italian, as well as German, Latin, Breton, Middle English, Scots, and French. I chose Indiana University for my Ph.D. in part because of its strength in modern and ancient language programs and continued my study of Latin and Middle English, as well as Old French, Old Irish, and Middle Welsh. 

I have always admired books-- old books, new books, rare books, common books. One of my fondest memories is waking up with my two best friends at 5am to be the first in line for the Friends of the Library Book Sale in Gainesville, Florida. We each had $10 in our pockets and by the end of a hot, dusty day of choosing books, we would come away with bags of books and spent the rest of the evening with take out food, sharing out finds with each other. This passion has developed into a serious study of the History of the Book and  proper collection of antiquarian books. 

Mobilis in Mobile

The phrase Mobilis in Mobile comes from Jules Verne's Vingt mille lieues sous les mers and means "Mobile in the mobile element." I have had the opportunity to be mobile in the mobile element as my life's trajectory has seen me move from Sanford, to Geneva, to Gainesville, Florida, with a brief stop in Mannheim, Germany, to Bloomington, Indiana, to Paris, France (with residences in Asnière-sur-Seine, le Xe arrondissement, and Poissy), back to Bloomington (a couple of times) and to Manchester, England (a couple of times), with summers in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. 

I love my cat, Little Mister, and I've watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer more times than I can count any more. I enjoy a good hike around nature or the city, especially with my film camera. 

The website banner is my own photo of fol. 33r of the Paris Apocalypse (Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS fr. 403).