Thank you for stopping by my little corner of the internet! I am a PhD candidate in the English Department of the University of Connecticut and a Graduate Instructor in the First Year Writing program. I am also working as a librarian at Fairfield University.
I like to describe myself as a disciplinary nomad with advanced degree wallpaper. My undergraduate degree from Connecticut College is in Sociology-based Human Relations, my first master’s degree is an MA in Religious Studies from Chicago Theological Seminary, my second master’s degree is an MLIS (Master of Library and Information Science) from Dominican University (River Forest, IL), and my third master’s degree is an MA in English from the University of Connecticut. I got into the study of literature via the study of pop culture, specifically Harry Potter. While I am no longer a Harry Potter scholar because I will not center the work of a transphobic author in my scholarship, I mention it here because it was a very important part of how I came to be the scholar that I am today.
My dissertation examines representations of blackness and disability in contemporary American Young Adult literature. The texts I am studying include Bitter (Emezi 2022), Who Put This Song On? (Parker 2019), and Anger is a Gift (Oshiro 2018).
Interested to know more about my career? Download my CV.
Want to be in touch? Send me an email at tolonda dot scholar at gmail dot com.
