I am a PhD candidate in the English Department at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. My research interests include 19th century Irish and British folklore and literature, Gothic and fairy tale influences, and the relationship between dominant and marginalized spiritual belief systems. I am working on a dissertation titled “‘Half Religion…Half Poetry’: Belief and Cultural Authority in Irish Texts, 1845-1916,” which positions literary texts alongside archival materials, and on a public humanities project titled “Victorian Ghosts and Me,” which similarly positions Victorian-era accounts of paranormal experiences alongside stories submitted by interested participants today (victorianghostsandme.net).