I am an Associate Professor in the Writing, Rhetoric, and
American Cultures Department at Michigan State University. I grew up in the Keweenaw Peninsula of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, graduated from Dollar Bay High School, moved to the big city of Ann Arbor where I received my B.A. in English from the University of Michigan, took a brief journey to Flagstaff, Arizona and then ended up back in my homeland where I earned my M.S. and Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Technical Communication from Michigan Technological University.
My research and teaching focus on the intersections between American Indian rhetoric, multimodal pedagogy, and digital rhetoric. Specifically, I'm interested in how to best teach composing, be that composing through words, designs, images, beads, quillwork, or any other form of textual making. Along with numerous essays and book chapters, I am the co-author of Writer/Designer: A Guide to Making Multimodal Projects, and the co-editor of CrossTalk in Comp Theory and Composing(Media)=Composing(Embodiment).
I am a proud Yooper and Finndian, of Finnish and Anishinaabe ancestry (Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Lake Superior Band of Chippewa Indians descendent). I spend my personal time wrangling a small child, swimming laps, wishing I crocheted and beaded more, wondering why more music today doesn't sound like Sleater Kinney or Missy Elliot, wrestling my 14lb dog, eating my husband's amazing food, and daydreaming about Lake Superior. I believe in kindness, listening, and meaningful conversation. Upper Michigan is my home, my blood, and my people an I am delighted to be back in my home state.