Hello! My name’s Aileen and I’m currently working on my Ph.D. in English at the University of Iowa. As a literary scholar, I’m drawn to the strange and difficult— especially with texts that challenge what a book or narrative is, and what they could ultimately be in the digital age. My dissertation project, titled “Corporate Control in/of Literature After 1978,” explores the role of intermediaries, publishing houses, and digital platforms on postmodern and contemporary literature.

I also like to write and do creative stuff too. My poetry’s been published by Kentucky-based venues such as Sarabande Books and Miracle Monocle, and I’ve performed at events such as Iowa City’s Mission Creek Festival and FilmScene’s Refocus Film Festival. I’m a Poetry Reader for the Iowa Review, and I’ve judged for the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.

Before I came to Iowa City, I was born and raised in Kentucky. I received my B.A. in English at the University of Kentucky, where I was a Gaines Fellow in the Humanities. During the summers, I return back home to work for Kentucky’s Governor’s School for the Arts.