About Lauren
Living and working in the space between academics and the private sector, I am consistently dedicated to excellent writing and a creative engagement with content.
I am currently employed as a Content Specialist at the Cleveland office of Fahlgren Mortine, a marketing and advertising agency based in Columbus, Ohio. I draft copy ranging from technical bylines to web pages and blogs to advertisements and more for a wide variety of B2B clients. I also work part-time at Sheetz, where I love interacting with my customers and providing "Total Customer Focus." I also freelance (mostly writing and crafting).
As an academic, I am a rhetorical critic and critical masculinities scholar. My work is primarily at the intersection of popular culture, mid-20th-century American history, and the U.S. presidency. I wrote my dissertation on American masculinity during the Nixon presidential years.
My other academic commitment is to Harry Potter Studies - though I stand with others in this community in disavowing the author's anti-trans bigotry, and I remain committed to avoiding purchases that support her financially. Harry Potter Studies is not connected to the author and is a highly interdisciplinary and inclusive area of scholarly inquiry. Currently, I have five publications in this field:
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- In Media Res "What 'Counts' as Harry Potter Canon?"
- 2016 Essay in Wizards vs. Muggles
- 2017 Essay in The Rhetorical Power of Children's Literature
- 2018 Essay in Inside the World of Harry Potter
- 2022 Essay in Open at the Close: Literary Essays on "Harry Potter"
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I am also the Assistant Coordinator of The Harry Potter Academic Conference at Chestnut Hill College. You can find more about my academic work on my CV.
I am a highly organized, creative person, and I value fairness, practicality, and respect for other people's time and effort. See my resume for more on my non-academic work accomplishments.
As part of a big, Italian American family from Youngstown, Ohio, spending time with the people I love is an important part of my life. I also enjoy a good cup of tea (or glass of wine or bourbon!), creating various craft projects, a great pair of high heels, and pretty much all cats, especially my gal, Zowie (said "Zoey" but spelled like David Bowie's son). My saxophone-playing, woodworking, perspicacious fiancé, Gabe, is pretty awesome too.
