In 2007, I won the University Professor Award for Excellence in Teaching at Ohio University, where I helped create the track for European women’s and gender history. My award involved a small stipend and permission to teach two of my dream classes – one was “History of Sexuality through Memoirs and Text;” the other was “History of Vampires.” I now regularly teach an honors colloquium on “Vampires, Race, Gender” at Oregon State University with Prof. Jonathan Kaplan. No, I do not believe in vampires. But I do believe that monsters have a lot to tell us about ourselves, and in my invited lectures and courses on the subject (and one short chapter), I help audiences listen to what they have to say.
Check out my lecture “Our Vampires, Ourselves” for the Benton County History Society (2019).
Interview with me about vampires (From a student project)