Hello to all! This semester I am working on my dissertation full force! I am currently working on a draft of a dissertation chapter on Marlowe’s Edward II and Shakespeare’s Richard II. My dissertation as a whole examines aristocratic masculinity in early modern drama. I love studying these plays so much. Edward and Richard have so much in common that they work beautifully together. Best of all, I am planning a trip to London and Stratford to do research! My dissertation is heavily focused on performance so I am seeing as many live performances as possible and consulting recordings when necessary. In January, I plan to see Love’s Labour’s Lost in London (preparing for Chapter 4) and viewing recordings of Edward II and Ben Jonson’s Sejanus. Securing the funding to do this is overwhelming but I am so excited at the prospect of visiting the U.K. again after almost ten years.

On the teaching front, I am all Brit Lit all the time this year. I am currently teaching Brit Lit I and I just found out that I will be doing Shakespeare and Brit Lit in the spring. So a busy year of teaching but I get to teach works that I love and that students aren’t likely to find elsewhere in their college careers. This semester, I am teaching Brit Lit with a more women-oriented focus. I am teaching as many female authors as possible. I just did a section on Marie de France and I am finishing the course with Eliza Haywood. I am looking forward to a great year at URI and I hope that everyone is having a great semester so far!