About

I am an academic and critic based in Ōtautahi Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand. I currently work as Senior Lecturer in Critical and Cultural Theory in the English Department at the University of Canterbury Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha, where I’m also affiliated with the Cultural Studies and Cinema Studies programmes. I’m a first generation Pākehā New Zealander, and my pronouns are she / her.

I appear often as a speaker, panellist, moderator and keynote, in a mixture of professional and public contexts. These include film, literary and arts festivals, and events in community spaces like galleries, schools, community hubs and libraries. I’ve offered consultation for film and performing arts projects, and I’ve been a judge a number of times over for for the Sheilah Winn Festival of Shakespeare in Schools, the 48 Hour Furious Film-making competition, and the RAW Stand Up Comedy competitions. I work with performing artists and dancers as they develop work and practice. I’m very good at communicating big, complex ideas to diverse audiences in an engaging way. I do outreach visits to schools and groups, too – get in touch.

When I have time I appear in or make / facilitate / direct performance work. I’m interested in small, boutique interdisciplinary events that present stories in lo-fi but surprising ways. I am a regular panellist and occasional host on the live-recorded nerdy comedy podcast The Nerd Degree, which has 90+ episodes available.

Outside of other activities in support of the arts, I’m also proud to sit on the board of trustees of WORD Christchurch, an exceptional literary festival that in 2019 won the Booksellers NZ Book Industry Innovation Award.

The ‘horizon of expectation’ is a way of thinking about how we read, value and interpret work. It asks us to consider how our assumptions and reading practices change over time. You can find out more here, here and here.