“The feeling you get after leaving as a female–like a badass.” A favorite student evaluation. It’s the effect of reading about amazing women, historical and fictional…

#metoo The historic loss of Roy Moore in Alabama teaches us about many things, including the importance of listening to women, who are too often silenced. Each time I teach my class called The Sounds of Silence: A Biodiversity of Mute and Quiet Women in a World of Brutal Noise,*  I learn so much from … More Responding to Silence Boisterously

That Julian of Norwich! All shall be well, according to her, and indeed it was the other day. I saw an email from a friend I hadn’t had contact with in years. Work, motherhood, moving thousands of miles away–all these had separated us–though not our hearts. Hélène and I worked together when we were young … More How Julian of Norwich still works miracles

I’m delighted to announce that A Medieval Woman’s Companion: Women’s Lives in the European Middle Ages has been awarded a number of honors. Winner: Gold Medal in College Nonfiction from Literary Classics as well as being awarded a Seal of Approval. Their review, which you can read in full here, calls the book “Compelling…fascinating.” It … More Awards: Gold Medal in College Nonfiction and Bronze Medal in Women’s Studies

Amazed and delighted that A Medieval Woman’s Companion has been selected as a Finalist for the 2016 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award in 3 categories: Adult Nonfiction; Women’s Studies; and Young Adult Nonfiction.

The students in my class, The Sounds of Silence: A Biodiversity of Mute and Quiet Women in a World of Brutal Noise,* made silence erotic. The best example of this is Ria Stubbs-Trevino’s funny and profound scrapbook, “My Hot Date With a Book: A Modern Tale of Young Love.” Ria wrote a paper to accompany … More Making Silence Erotic

The students in my class, The Sounds of Silence: A Biodiversity of Mute and Quiet Women in a World of Brutal Noise,* made silence move into films. Grad student Angela Allen made three short films about Griselda, a tragically silenced figure who fascinated Boccaccio, Petrarch, Chaucer, and Christine de Pizan. Here are Angela’s films. To … More Making Silence Move-ie

The students in my class, The Sounds of Silence: A Biodiversity of Mute and Quiet Women in a World of Brutal Noise,* made silence poetic, showing that #ShePersisted has long been true for women’s lives. From a reimagining of Jane Eyre meeting Antoinette, Rochester’s first wife, to a slave narrative, as well as a version … More Making Silence Poetic

My student, poet Emily Beyda, built her own loom and wove her final poem using binary code for her final project.  Emily, a fantastic poet and weaver of warp and woof, made a lovely white tapestry. Her poem is based on the sole extant poem by the Greek Erinna, who lived around 300 BCE. Emily … More Making Silence Tactile (Part 2)

My student, Corene Studstill, crocheted her final project for my class on silence and women. The class, called The Sounds of Silence: A Biodiversity of Mute and Quiet Women in a World of Brutal Noise,* has been a joy to teach. I’ve learned so much from my amazing students who had the option of writing … More Making Silence Tactile (Part 1)