I hold a PhD in modern Japanese history with a designated emphasis in new media from the University of California, Berkeley. My book manuscript, Manga’s Global Century, explores the history of Japanese comics from approximately 1905-1989.

I have extensive experience volunteering with feminist and fannish organizations. I served as the Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Organization for Transformative Works (2012-15), and I was on the Advisory Board of the Ada Initiative, a breakthrough not-for-profit advocating for women’s careers in open source software and related fields, before it ceased major operations in 2015. I joined the TAI Board of Directors in 2015, and I continued to serve as Secretary of the Board until TAI’s dissolution in spring 2017. I’m a lifetime member of the Girl Scouts USA.

I’ve spoken about anime, manga, fandom, and Japanese history and folklore at conventions and conferences on five continents, and given talks and lectures related to these topics as well.

If you would like to have me speak at your school, organization, group, or event, please contact me.