I studied Folklore at the University of Oregon. My thesis was titled “Sacred Networks: How Catholic Communities Affirm Belief and Sustain Community on the Internet.” My folklore studies center around the Internet and religious belief, and spiral outward and backward to Celtic culture and myth. The study of folklore and the way people communicate artistically with one another is endlessly fascinating to me. You can find a sample of some of my interests below.
Articles:
“Cyberculture” and “Online Social Networking” The Encyclopedia of Women and American Popular Culture, Ed. Gina Misiroglu. New York, NY: Checkmark, 2012.
“Folklore and the Internet: Vernacular Expression in a Digital World (Review)” Western States Folklore, Volume 70, 3 (2011): 376-377.
Papers:
American Folklore Society, “Reclaiming the Pink Ribbon: Blogging a New Breast Cancer Narrative,” New Orleans, October 24-28, 2012
Western States Folklore Society, “‘Please Repost’: Vernacular Contestation of Traumatic Experiences Online” Sacramento State University, Sacramento, April 20-21, 2012
Oregon Rhetoric and Composition, “Collective Knowledge in the Composition Classroom” Western Oregon University, Monmouth, April 14, 2012
Western States Folklore Society, “Online Pilgrims: Remembering and Renegotiating Sacred Spaces” Willamette University, Salem, April 16-17, 2010
American Folklore Society, “Going to the Chapel and We’re Gonna Get Married Online: Navigating the Communal Religious Experience in Second Life,” Boise State University, Boise, October 21-25, 2009
Western States Folklore Society, “‘How will I ever go to confession if I can’t make my avatar stop dancing?’: Logging into the Sacred through Second Life,” Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles, April 16-18, 2009
Western States Folklore Society, “Contact Us: How Catholic Communities Affirm Belief and Sustain Community on the Internet,” University of California, Davis, April 10-12, 2008