Eilis M. Kierans,

Graduate Student Representative

2022-2023

Biography:

Eilis Kierans is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Italian Studies at Rutgers University where her research focuses on contemporary literature, gender/sexuality studies, ecocriticism, film, and food studies. Her dissertation explores works of fiction and autobiography, from the mid-1900s to the present day, that portray the multifaceted eating disorders of underrepresented populations through the lenses of gender and ecocritical theories. She has published articles on the work of Dacia Maraini, Grazia Deledda, Christian Petzold, and the importance of creating community in the online classroom. Her most recent work on Clara Sereni and Italian American lesbian writers will be published this year. She is co-editor of the new series Other Voices of Italy: Italian and Transnational Texts in Translation as well as editor of the Creative Reviews section of Italian Quarterly. She has taught a wide variety of language and culture classes to children, college students, and retirees in Korea, Italy, and the United States. Eilis is passionate about experiential learning and has facilitated several educational programs in Italy, Argentina, and Ecuador. At present, Eilis resides in Madrid where she is honing her Spanish language skills and serves as an ardent advocate of the stray cat population.