Biography

Olivia Thomakos is a Ph.D. student in English and Creative Writing and the Teacher of Instruction in the English Department’s Short Story course. Olivia’s PhD goal is to research blind poets and poetry about blindness to prove its cruciality to literary study. Olivia explores her own blindness in her poetry.

Olivia earned her B.S. in Secondary English Education at the University of Dayton with a minor in International Studies and a TESOL Certificate. She received her M.S. in Creative Writing from the University of Edinburgh.

Olivia was granted a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Malaysia, where she taught English as a second language. The following year, Olivia taught as a substitute teacher in Ohio primary and secondary schools before moving to Zaragoza, Spain to work as a speaking teacher in a language school.

While living in Edinburgh, Olivia worked closely with The Forest arts charity and with Wet Grain poetry magazine. She was Poetry Editor of two anthologies: From Arthur’s Seat and Origin Stories and Managing Editor of Tiny Flames, a book of translated Ukrainian poems. In May 2024, Olivia published her debut chapbook of poems titled Love & Other Cancers.