Recent Projects and Experience
Thomas Edison National Historical Park (June 2022-December 2023)
I conducted original research in the archives at the Thomas Edison National Historical Park to put together a new tour centering on Mina Miller Edison (1865-1947), second wife of Thomas Alva Edison and an astute businesswoman in her own right. The new programming prioritizes Mina’s role as “home executive” at the family home, Glenmont, and her efforts to redefine women’s domestic labor as a career. My research— which focuses on women, family, servants, details of domestic life, and other areas often ignored in favor of Thomas Edison’s inventions and businesses— makes the Park’s interpretation programs more inclusive and brings new perspectives to the Edison story.
To see my work at TENHP in action, scroll through the galleries below! The first is an archival exhibit that I curated for the West Orange Street Fair in June 2023. We opened the archives building and displayed documents not typically on view for the public, including Mina Edison’s journals and personal notes, housekeeping books, and documents related to her philanthropic work and involvement in Thomas Edison’s lab.
The second gallery contains images from onsite research at Glenmont.
"Mina Edison in the Archives" Exhibit, Thomas Edison National Historical Park, June 3, 2023
"Mina Edison in the Archives," TENHP, 6/3/23 L to R: 1880s housekeeping manual, early 20th-century payroll documents, 1917 World War I recipe book
"Mina Edison in the Archives," TENHP, 6/3/23
"Mina Edison in the Archives," TENHP, 6/3/23
"Mina Edison in the Archives," TENHP, 6/3/23
Investigating Mina Miller Edison's desk and personal books at Glenmont
Working with historic books at Glenmont
Investigating Mina's nook of the library at Glenmont-- you can learn a lot about people from their reading material!
Consulting Mina's 1917 World War I recipe book at the TENHP Archives (or, the day I vowed I would never make Cream of Lettuce Soup)
Editorial Advisor, World Chess Hall of Fame, St. Louis, MO (March 2023)
As an editorial advisor, I provided feedback on interpretive panels and the exhibition brochure for the current exhibit T.S. Eliot: A Game of Chess. I also consulted on background information related to T.S. Eliot and Wagnerian opera.
University of California, Berkeley (2016-2023)
As a graduate student in the English Department at UC-Berkeley, I taught classes on topics including “Victorian Vampires” and “Gothic Trash” (Victorian periodical horror fiction), introducing students to the complexities and strangeness of the Victorian era through its overlooked texts.
I also regularly published and presented my research at conferences. See the “About” page for more information on my doctoral dissertation and the “Writing” page for more information on my publications.
Hayward Area Historical Society (2021-22)
As a Docent at the Hayward Area Historical Society, I worked in two Victorian houses, the Meek Mansion (1869) and the McConaghy House (1888). I gave tours, answered questions about the history of the houses and the families who lived there, and assisted with seasonal programming.