biography

Specializations and Interests: Gender studies, pre-modern poetics and literati culture, multimedia and word/image studies, modern Japanese literature, Japanese film and visual culture in transnational contexts, Asian American literature.

Born in Tokyo (Itabashi Ward) in 1977. Migrated with family to U.S. in 1979, first to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, then to Huntsville Alabama. Father is Yoshiyuki Takahashi, Professor of Cosmic Ray Astrophysics at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Graduated valedictorian of Huntsville High School; served as section first violinist in the Huntsville Symphony; studied philosophy and creative writing at Princeton University (graduated magna cum laude in 1999). Worked as Assistant Account Executive at Resnicow Schroeder Associates (an arts and cultural communications firm) in New York City where her clients included the Harvard Design School and the Asia Society. Earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Comparative Literature and Literary Theory (focusing primarily on Japanese literature) from the University of Pennsylvania. Chaired the Department of Asian Studies and the Program in Japanese at Sewanee: The University of the South from 2006 to 2008. Teaching at Connecticut College since 2008.