I was born and raised in Pennsylvania. In fact, my family has been there since the late seventeenth century and has only moved about 80 miles from where they set anchor on the Delaware River in 1683. Travel outside of southeastern Pennsylvania has become a large part of my life. I enjoy getting to know new places and experiences. Sometimes, though, I am content with sticking my hands in the dirt at home and gardening. I share that home with two rescued felines, Bessie and Stanley. I'm a Quaker and delight in an unprogrammed Meeting for Worship. We are pacifists, social justice activists, and avoid hierarchical structures.
I would describe my work as residing largely within linguistics and American Studies. I'm a sociolinguist and linguistic anthropologist (with a strong background in folklore studies) interested primarily in heritage languages and the interaction of language and identity. My interest in language began early, as I listened in on my grandmother and great aunt visit at the kitchen table. They both spoke Pennsylvania Dutch and it fascinated me... and, well, continues to fascinate me. I am most content academically doing fieldwork and ethnography. In grad school, I was extremely fortunate to work with great mentors in courses on language contact with Jacqueline Toribio and Barbara Bullock, courses on sociolinguistics with John Lipski, and courses on historical linguistics with Richard Page and Phil Baldi.
Since graduate school, I've worked as a fiber artist in various methods, especially knitting, embroidery, bobbin lace, and fiber spinning. I am happiest as a curious person and love learning new techniques, especially if they are rooted in cultural traditions. Folk art, in all its diverse media, gives me endless inspiration.
Although I'm currently located in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania still resonates in most of the work that I do and is still "home." I identify most strongly with the natural rhythms and landscapes of Pennsylvania's "Dutch Country" --- its characteristic red, limestone-rich soil nestled between Philadelphia and the Blue Mountains. Echoing often in my mind are the words of Cornelius Weygandt, long ago professor of English literature at the University of Pennsylvania, in his devotional volume to the Pennsylvania Dutchland:
I would describe my work as residing largely within linguistics and American Studies. I'm a sociolinguist and linguistic anthropologist (with a strong background in folklore studies) interested primarily in heritage languages and the interaction of language and identity. My interest in language began early, as I listened in on my grandmother and great aunt visit at the kitchen table. They both spoke Pennsylvania Dutch and it fascinated me... and, well, continues to fascinate me. I am most content academically doing fieldwork and ethnography. In grad school, I was extremely fortunate to work with great mentors in courses on language contact with Jacqueline Toribio and Barbara Bullock, courses on sociolinguistics with John Lipski, and courses on historical linguistics with Richard Page and Phil Baldi.
Since graduate school, I've worked as a fiber artist in various methods, especially knitting, embroidery, bobbin lace, and fiber spinning. I am happiest as a curious person and love learning new techniques, especially if they are rooted in cultural traditions. Folk art, in all its diverse media, gives me endless inspiration.
Although I'm currently located in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania still resonates in most of the work that I do and is still "home." I identify most strongly with the natural rhythms and landscapes of Pennsylvania's "Dutch Country" --- its characteristic red, limestone-rich soil nestled between Philadelphia and the Blue Mountains. Echoing often in my mind are the words of Cornelius Weygandt, long ago professor of English literature at the University of Pennsylvania, in his devotional volume to the Pennsylvania Dutchland:
"It is natural, I suppose, with my ancestry, that any way to the Red Hills is to me a way home.
Please do check around my site and feel free to contact me with any questions. I'd be happy to share research and "in preparation" manuscripts for commentary.