Education
Ph.D. in English (2020 – 2024)
University of Arkansas | Fayetteville, AR
Dissertation title: Desire Lines: Reading Queerly Through the Forests of Medieval Love Literature
M.S. in Library and Information Science (2017 – 2019)
Simmons University | Boston, MA (distance learning)
Research interests: social informatics, cultural and political influences on Library and Information Science, & preservation and access methodologies
B.A. (cum laude) in English (2012 – 2016)
Wellesley College | Wellesley, MA
Minor: Medieval/Renaissance Studies
Research interests: women and medieval literature, the Other in medieval literature, and mapping medieval themes to post-colonial African Diaspora literature
Teaching Experience
The New School | Fayetteville, AR
Grade 8 Humanities: In a full-year course, students spend half a year studying U.S. history from the mid-18th century to the mid-20th century mostly through primary source documents and literature. Students spend the second half of the year drawing connections from the American Civil Rights Movement to the global decolonization, human rights progress, and environmental movements.
Grade 8 French: In a semester-long course, students focus on speaking and listening in French alongside cultural studies that promote an understanding of the Francophone world.
Grade 7 Intro to Research: In a 9-week course, students learn how to ask critical questions about information they encounter online, following the Digital Inquiry Group’s Civic Online Reasoning (COR) curriculum.
University of Arkansas | Fayetteville, AR
WLIT1113H: Honors World Literature I: Beginnings to 1650
WLIT1113: World Literature I: Beginnings to 1650
ENGL2003: Advanced Composition
ENGL1023: Composition Writing II
ENGL1013: Composition Writing I
Professional Experience & Development
Medieval England Summer Study Abroad, Teaching Assistant (Summer 2023), University of Arkansas
– I supported the faculty leader and students in all aspects of their study abroad experience, including:
– Research support for individual projects
-Social support for students; I notably eased students’ fears associated with culture shock and fostered community bonding outside the lecture hall by organizing dinners, rambles, attendance to cultural events, and writing blocks
– Technology support, navigation, and impromptu mini-lectures during both class and site visits
Summer Research Program (Summer 2022), Medieval Academy of America
-As part of the Grant Writing Cohort, I attended grant-writing workshops throughout the summer and prepared a mock-application for the NEH Fellowship
-Attended alt-ac panels throughout the summer
-Attended the Summer Research Symposium at Yale University, a culmination of the program which included presentations of student work, networking, and professional development workshops
Digital Humanities Workshop (January 2022), University of Arkansas
-Foundational training in digital humanities with a focus on public-facing scholarship
Children’s Librarian (2019 – 2020), Main Branch – Charleston County Public Library | Charleston, SC
-Conducted storytimes that support literacy and school readiness
-Designed and led educational, delightful programs for children 11 and under
-Supported young users’ research and leisure reading needs
Service & Community Engagement
Session Organizer and Panel Chair (May 2024)
“Marked by Change: (De)coding Differences in Textual and Visual Translations”: International Congress of Medieval Studies
Panel Chair (May 2024)
“Global Courtly Culture”: International Congress of Medieval Studies
President (2022 – 2023)
Graduate Students in English Organization, University of Arkansas
Panel Chair (March 2023)
Labor & Work, Session I: Annual Graduate Students in English Interdisciplinary Conference
Panel Chair (October 2022)
Race, Beauty, and Identity: 46th Meeting of the Mid-America Medieval Association
Panel Chair (October 2022)
Old French Literature & Culture: 46th Meeting of the Mid-America Medieval Association
Assistant, Conference Planning (Summer 2022)
46th Meeting of the Mid-America Medieval Association, University of Arkansas
Student-Faculty Liaison (2021 – 2022)
Graduate Students in English Organization, University of Arkansas
Awards
Distinguished Doctoral Fellowship (2020 – 2024)
Fulbright College of Arts & Sciences, University of Arkansas, $22,000 annually for four years
Bridge Fellowship (2024)
Gender Studies Program, University of Arkansas
James J. Hudson Doctoral Fellowship in the Humanities (2023 – 2024)
Graduate School and International Education, University of Arkansas
Vance and Mary Celestia Parler Randolph Fellowship (2023 – 2024)
Fulbright College of Arts & Sciences, University of Arkansas
Graduate Student Mentor Fellowship (Summer 2022)
The Medieval Academy of America, $1,500 stipend to travel to New Haven, CT for the Graduate Student Summer Mentorship Symposium
Publications
“lessons in sailing”
Anthropocene from the Hill: Vol. 1, Article 7 (May 2024), pp. 8-9
“Women’s Friendship in Medieval Literature”
Review of Women’s Friendship in Medieval Literature, edited by Karma Lochrie and Usha Vishnuvajjala. Medieval Feminist Forum, vol. 59, no. 1, Summer 2023, pp. 128-130.
Presentations
“The Feminine Arthurian Object: Revealing Alternate Subjectivity Le chevalier au lion” (July 2024)
International Arthurian Society. Aix-en-Provence, France
“Gender-Switching in the Forest of Amis and Amiloun” (May 2024)
Courtly Loves (3), Queer(ing) England, 59th International Congress on Medieval Studies
“Three Knights Walk into a Forest: De-stabilizing Binary Definitions of Courtly Love in Chrétien’s Yvain and Lancelot and Béroul’s Roman de Tristan” (May 2022)
Arthurian Obstacles, 57th International Congress on Medieval Studies, Virtual
“Into the Woods with Middle English Lyric” (April 2021)
Graduate Students in English Conference, University of Arkansas, Virtual
B. Skye Oliver 