My primary scholarship focuses on the relationship between gender, region, and community in composition studies, the scholarship of teaching and learning, as well as American literature and culture. Whether examining the figure of the ugly woman in the work of southern women writers, the gothic mode in representations of southern masculinity, or the ways in  which region inflects the portrayal of abortion in American literature, my work ultimately questions and investigates the ways in which understandings of personal identity and place influence, reinforce, and even change each other. My first monograph, Being Ugly: Southern Women Writers and Social Rebellion, was published by Louisiana State University Press's Southern Literary Studies Series.

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Another manifestation of my interest in the relationship between identity and place is the role of community within academia. What kinds of community can be fostered in classrooms, on campuses, and within disciplines? These questions have guided a variety of projects which I write and present about, on topics including trigger warnings, fostering creativity on campus (both inside and outside of the classroom), and mentoring graduate students.