Graduate Students

• Graduate Teaching Assistant
• Merrifield Hall Room 217C
•  samuel.amendolar@UND.edu

Areas of Interest

Medieval Literature; Manuscript Studies (Codicology, Paleography, and the History of the Book); Spatial Theory and Materiality; Interdisciplinary Studies (Especially Literature and Philosophy); Digital Humanities

Biography

Sam Amendolar is interested in medieval literature and manuscript studies. His work emphasizes codicology, examining texts as both literature and cultural artifacts, while also observing how they are perceived and represented in assemblages that construct the facticity of our material world(s). Exploring convergences of time, space, and intertextuality, his research demonstrates how these factors contribute to medieval material discourses both in and about literature. His published works explore these links and aim to elucidate both the tangible and intangible aspects of material culture. 

Sam’s approaches to medieval literature and codicology have been extended to his independent research projects, including the curation of various letters, texts, and a personal scrapbook belonging to Maj. Leonard S. Van Vliet, Assistant Quartermaster to then-General Ulysses S. Grant in the American Civil War.

Sam is also a hobbyist woodworker and can be found turning wood blanks at the lathe when he isn’t turning the pages of his favorite books.

Courses Taught

• ENGL 110 College Composition I
• ENGL 130 Composition II: Writing for Public Audiences
• ENGL 227: Literature and the Environment (Topic: Ecocriticism)
• ENGL 308 The Art of Writing Nonfiction

Selected Publications and Presentations

• “Sacred Space in Ælfric’s Lives of Saints: A Geosemiotic Reading of Saint Swithun's (Re)Construction." Religions. (Forthcoming, 2025).
• “Laura Cereta.” The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Medieval Women’s Writing in the Global Middle Ages, edited by Michelle M. Sauer, Diane Watt, and Liz Herbert McAvoy. Palgrave Macmillan, 2025.
• “‘Into a forest ful depe’: Pedagogical Approaches to Teaching The Works of the Gawain Poet in the Ecocritical Classroom.” Presented at the Northern Plains Conference for Early British Literature (NPCEBL) in Aberdeen, SD, April 2025.
• “‘This Precious Stone is Jesus’: Agate in Ancrene Wisse.” Early Middle English, vol. 5 no. 2, 2023, p. 101-111. Project MUSE
• Campus Building: Merrifield Hall, co-edited with Shilo Previti and Grant McMillan, The Digital Press at the University of North Dakota, 2023.

Digital Humanities Projects:

• In progress: “Leonard S. Van Vliet Digital Collection.” Principal Investigator and Curator. 

• Graduate Teaching Assistant
• Merrifield Hall Room 240G
• davina.bell@UND.edu

Areas of Interest

American Literature; African American Literature; Afro-Caribbean Literature; African Literature; Black Women Writers; Black Feminism; Black Queer Theory; Indigenous Literature; Latinx Literature; Multicultural Literary Futurism; Speculative Fiction; Gothic Literature; Horror, Film Studies

Biography

Davina focuses on African American literature from Reconstruction to the present, with a special interest in ideological, futuristic, and utopian representation of the African diaspora in literature and film.  Within the literary aesthetic of futurism, she is interested in Indigenous and Latinx cultural representations.  She is also interested in Black feminism and Black queer theory.

She works with UND’s Black Studies Project, which fosters scholarly exchanges and community conversations about the African diaspora’s cultural discoveries, contributions, and recognitions.

Davina is from Birmingham, Alabama, and loves to travel and see the world.  When she’s not studying, she enjoys reading fiction, especially romance, and attending readers’ conferences for the romance and mystery genres.

Courses Taught

• ENGL 110 College Composition I
• ENGL 130 College Composition II: Writing for Public Audiences
• ENGL 227 Literature and the Environment (Topic: Ecocriticism)
• ENGL 231 Literature and Social Issues (Topic: Social Justice, Literature, and Film)

Selected Publications and Presentations

• Campus Building: Merrifield Hall, co-edited with Shilo Previti and Sam Amendolar, The Digital Press at the University of North Dakota, 2023.
• “Queering Black Blood: Joe Christmas, Power, Lynching, and Castration,” Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference, Oxford, MS, 2023.
• “Detroit’s Black Bottom and Paradise Valley: A Multicultural Promised Land,” MELUS Conference, Indianapolis, IN, 2023.

• Graduate Teaching Assistant
• Merrifield Hall Room 125
• casey.fuller.1@UND.edu

• aimee.galloway@UND.edu

• Graduate Teaching Assistant
• Merrifield Hall Room 125
• charles.d.henry@UND.edu

Areas of Interest

Premodern Literatures; Mythology; Secular studies; Sociolinguistics; Postmodernism (especially race and gender); Public Humanities; Composition Theory; Distant Reading; Poetry Writing; Educational Philosophy.

Biography

Charles is interested in the effects of dominant cultures on language and society. His academic work attempts to reexamine how religion, class, and power influence constructions of race, gender, and identity within literature. Beyond his theoretical bent, Charles is interested in the discourse study of English. In his teaching he is very interested in writing as a process, developing a positive rapport with his students, and ensuring that formative assessment builds his students’ skills.

Charles grew up in the Ohio Valley, and moved to Grand Forks from Pittsburgh. He loves hiking at Turtle River or biking the Greenway, going to plays and concerts, and hanging out with his partner and their chihuahua, Steve.

Courses Taught

• ENGL 110 College Composition I
• ENGL 130 Composition II: Writing for Public Audiences
• ENGL 226 Introduction to Creative Writing
• ENGL 308 The Art of Writing Nonfiction

Selected Publications and Presentations

• “Anchorites and Intersectionality (A Roundtable).” International Congress on Medieval Studies, Kalamazoo, MI, 2023.
• “The Land of Cockaigne: A Tale of Clerical Authority Questioning Clerical Identity,” Northern Plains Conference on Early British Literature, Bemidji, MN, 2023.
• “Indecent Anchorholds (A Roundtable),” International Congress on Medieval Studies, Kalamazoo, MI, 2022.
• “The Construction of Identity and Religious Masculinity in Saint Guthlac,” Northern Plains Conference on Early British Literature, Vermillion, SD, 2022.
• “The Construction of Leprosy as Identity in Robert Henryson's The Testament of Cresseid,” Northern Plains Conference on Early British Literature, Sioux Center, IA, 2021.

• Graduate Teaching Assistant
• Merrifield Hall Room 240G
• olivia.kost@UND.edu

Areas of Interest

Mythology; Classical Literature; Shakespeare; Gender Studies; Feminist Studies

Biography

Olivia is interested in classical literature and mythology, especially myths with Greek origins. She has a special interest in using gender studies to explore how these works represent female voices. As a Master’s student, she questioned the representation of female revenge in Greek tragedy and its intersection with motherhood. More broadly, she is interested in epic literature and drama, with an emphasis on Shakespeare.

Courses Taught

• ENGL 110 College Composition I

• Graduate Teaching Assistant
• Merrifield Hall Room 240G
• jane.c.marino@UND.edu

Areas of Interest

Aestheticism; Surrealism; Avant-Gardism; Humor; Holocaust Studies; Medieval Manuscripts and Marginalia Art; Comic Books and Graphic Novels; Multimodality; Digital Collage

Biography

Janie studied fine arts and graphic design at the Kansas City Art Institute, and earned her M.A. in English at the University of Wyoming. Now she combines these disciplines, creating multimodal work that blends literary and visual art, such as a conference paper and artwork presentation analyzing themes of home in David Byrne’s oeuvre. Janie’s artwork also appears at the University of Wyoming through a Writing Center rebrand and cover art for literary journals. Her previous scholarship focused on comedic reactions to the Holocaust, such as irreverent depictions of Anne Frank or graphic adaptations of Jiří Weil’s Mendelssohn Is on the Roof. Before serving as a GTA at UND, Janie was a lecturer and writing center coordinator at UW. In her spare time, she loves watching bad movies and reading thrillers and nonfiction disaster narratives, especially ones concerning shipwrecks and Arctic exploration gone wrong.

Courses Taught

• ENGL 110 College Composition I

grant.mcmillan@UND.edu

Areas of Interest

Post-1945 U.S. Literature; Postcolonial Literature; Environmentalism (U.S. and Global); Urban Space; Solarpunk; Climate Fiction; Anthropological Literature; Science Fiction; Contemporary Poetry

Biography

Grant's research focuses on fiction as a generative tool that co-constructs scientific fact alongside natural sciences and technologies. In particular, he is interested in how storytelling imagines alternative formulations (non-hierarchical) human societies in the context of an industrialized, globalized world that is currently embroiled in an interconnected system of climate disasters.

Grant is also a photographer and is passionate about walking around and looking at things. His favorite class to teach is Literature and the Environment, which he designs to complement the other courses required by UND's interdisciplinary Environmental Studies degree.

Courses Taught

• ENGL 110 College Composition I
• ENGL 130 Composition II: Writing for Public Audiences
• ENGL 227 Intro to Literature & Culture (Topic: Ecocriticism)
• ENGL 227 Literature and the Environment (Topic: Fiction in the Anthropocene)
• ENGL 230 Analyzing Worldview through Story (Topic: (Un)Making U.S. Masculinities)

Selected Publications and Presentations

• "'Everything will be dead:' The Eco-Activist Archetype in a Time of Bewilderment." ISLE: Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment. Forthcoming, Q4 2025.
• "'No word for war:' Patriotism, Civilization, and Literary Anthropo-Anarchism in The Left Hand of Darkness." Extrapolation. Forthcoming, Q4 2025.
• Campus Building: Merrifield Hall, co-edited with Shilo Previti and Sam Amendolar, The Digital Press at the University of North Dakota, 2023.
• Winner of the Grand Forks Public Arts Commission's Mayor's Choice Award for photo-text exhibit Autumn, In Grand Forks, displayed from December 2021 through February 2022.
• "Seeing the Chiasm: Place Theory and Ecophenomenology." Convergences: A Journal of the Southeastern Association of Cultural Studies, vol.2, no.1, 2022.
• "The Wrong Side of the Wall." Photo-poem chapbook, University of North Dakota’s Greenway Press, December 2021.
• "'Become a Voice': The Tallgrass in 13 Sapphic Photo-poems." Multimedia poem, photo, and critical interpretation collection. Co-authored with Shilo Previti. Poeticanet: Winter 2021 Issue. 

• Graduate Teaching Assistant
• Merrifield Hall Room 217C
• kyle.robert.moore@UND.edu

Areas of Interest

Medieval British literature (12th-14th centuries); Medieval Christian monastic and devotional literature (especially hagiographies); Anchoresses and Hermits; Feminist Theory; Gender and Queer Theory; Spatial Theory

Biography

Kyle focuses on Middle English literature and early Christianity with specific interests in women’s religious experiences, medieval depictions of reclusion (anchoresses and hermits), hagiographical literature, sexuality and same-sex relations, and constructions of monastic spaces. His current research project analyzes women's anchoritic literature, sloth, and utopias. 

He has worked as a research associate on Dr. Crystal Alberts’ digital humanities project (funded by an NEH grant) and as a graduate assistant for University Park Neighborhoods (a program aimed at community-built initiatives and outreach).

Originally from San Diego, Kyle enjoys the ocean and swimming but has a soft spot for North Dakota’s cold winters and snow. In his free time, he enjoys cooking and baking, spending time with his partner, and playing with his sassy Miniature Schnauzer, Chloe.

Courses Taught

• ENGL 110 College Composition I
• ENGL 130 College Composition II: Writing for Public Audiences
• ENGL 230 Analyzing Worldview through Story (Topic: Labeling Personal Identities)
• WGS 225 Introduction to Women Studies

Selected Publications and Presentations

• Title TBA: journal article on Julian of Norwich, Antisemitism, and Blood. Journal of Medieval Religious Cultures. [forthcoming, 2027]
• "Letters of the Rožmberk Sisters." Encyclopedia of Medieval Women’s Writing in the Global Middle Ages, 500-1525 CE, eds. Liz Herbert McAvoy, Michelle M. Sauer, and Diane Watt. Palgrave, 2025. 
• "A Woman’s Sin: Sloth, Passivity, and Female Spirituality in Ancrene Wisse." International Anchoritic Society Conference. Boston, MA, 2025.
• "The Wedding or The Wife? Rethinking the Texts We Include for the Survey." Midwest Modern Language Association Convention. Chicago, IL, 2024. 
• "Julian of Norwich and Medieval Race Studies." New Visions of Julian of Norwich. Oxford, England, 2022.

• Graduate Teaching Assistant
• Merrifield Hall Room 210
• damilola.olobaniyi@UND.edu

Areas of Interest

African-American Literature; Gender Studies; Feminist Studies; Interdisciplinary Studies

Biography

Damilola is interested in comparative literature, African literature, and African-American literature, with a special focus on gender studies and interdisciplinary studies.

Damilola is passionate about singing and volunteering, and always cherishes time spent with her family.

Courses Taught

• ENGL 110 College Composition I
• ENGL 130 Composition II: Writing for Public Audiences

mark.l.patterson@UND.edu

Areas of Interest

Medieval Literature (especially Northern Europe, 12th-15th centuries); Chivalric and Arthurian Romances; Gender Studies; Feminist Theory; Queer Theory; Monster Theory.

Biography

Mark specializes in Middle English and Anglo-Norman literatures, with interests including sexual practices (especially sodomy), representations of masculinity, queer literature, and the works of Marie de France. Within queer studies, Mark’s research explores queer masculinities, LGBTQIA+ history, drag performance, and queer sub-communities. He is passionate about public scholarship, and after taking Digital Humanities, Mark was a research associate for Dr. Crystal Alberts on her NEH grant project.  Most recently, he worked for Humanities North Dakota as a digital humanities intern to revitalize their Read ND program.

Outside of school, Mark loves to create fiber art, and you’ll rarely find him without a mug of tea. Whenever time allows, Mark heads up to Manitoba where he explores provincial parks and enjoys the French bakeries and francophone community in Winnipeg.

Courses Taught

• ENGL 110 College Composition I
• ENGL 130 Composition II: Writing for Public Audiences
• ENGL 228 Diversity in Global Literatures (Topic: Monster Literature)
• ENGL 230 Analyzing Worldview through Story (Topic: Masculinity and Culture)
• ENGL 230 Analyzing Worldview through Story (Topic: Movement and Freedom)
• WGS 200 Introduction to Gender Studies

Selected Publications and Presentations

• “(Re)Visioning Male Homosexuality in the Middle Ages,” with Robert Clark in Companion to Sexuality in the Medieval West. Eds. Michelle M. Sauer and Jenny C. Bledsoe. ARC Humanities, expected 2024.
• “‘And the dragoun meekly shall obeye’: Virgin Martyrdom and Spiritual Marriage as Models for Lay Chastity in John Lydgate’s Legend of St. George,” expected 2024.
• “‘Beautiful Monster’: Queer Lineage and Monstrous Hybridity in the Romans of Partenay,” International Congress on Medieval Studies, Kalamazoo, MI, 2023.
• “The Ruined Female Body: Vampirism, Lesbianism, and Social Transgression in Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla,” Red River Valley Women’s Studies Conference, Moorhead, MN, 2023.

jenifer.polson@UND.edu

Areas of Interest

Comic Books and Graphic Novels (especially DC and Marvel); Post-1945 American Fiction; Cultural Rhetoric; Disability Studies; Gender Studies (especially Masculinity); Racial Studies.

Biography

Jenifer was born and raised in Massachusetts. She is currently working on her dissertation, which looks at the representations of judicial and medical systems in the eighty-year run of Batman comics. Specifically, she is interested in how the depiction of diegetic judicial and medical institutions, as well as the persons within those institutions (both patients and staff), influence audiences’ perceptions of the non-diegetic versions of those institutions. 

Jenifer is also the Assistant Coordinator of the UND Writing Center. Prior to taking on this role, she was a Graduate Writing Consultant for just over six years.

Outside of work and school, Jenifer is a lifelong New England sports fan and pop-culture enthusiast. She enjoys watching (and rewatching) the films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, various Batman adaptations, Dr. Who, Sherlock Holmes adaptations, and the like. She also enjoys diamond painting, painting-by-numbers, and jigsaw puzzles.

Courses Taught

• ENGL 110 College Composition I
• ENGL 130 College Composition II: Writing for Public Audiences
• ENGL 229 Diversity in U.S. Literatures (Topic: History of Black Panther Comix)

Selected Publications and Presentations

• “Ironheart: Bringing Female Education out of the Gutter.” Graduate Research Achievement Day, Grand Forks, ND, 2019. (College of Arts & Humanities Finalist)
• “Drawing Borders: The Borders of War and the Graphic Novel.” Midwest Modern Language Association Convention, St. Louis, MO, 2016.
• “Savage! Vanished! Appropriated!: Misrepresentations of Native Americans in Green Arrow.” Cultural Rhetorics Conference, East Lansing, MI, 2014.
• “Marked Bodies: Physicalist Manifestations of Superhero Strength, Character Evolution, and Emotional and Mental Dis/Abilities.” Crippling the Comic Con, Syracuse, NY, 2014.

• Academic Advisor, AVP Student Success
• McCannel Hall Room 280
• yashari.nunez@UND.edu

• Graduate Teaching Assistant
• Merrifield Hall Room 210
• mohammad.walid.1@UND.edu

Areas of Interest

Ethnic Studies; Indigenous Studies; Environmental Humanities; Environmental Education and Policy; Climate Fiction; Speculative Fiction; Marxism; Popular Culture; Digital Humanities; Creative Writing

Biography

Walid was born and brought up in a small coastal town in Bangladesh named Khulna. He is currently interested in environmental humanities because he will be able to apply his own experiences from home to issues raised by contemporary cli-fi. He is also interested in digital humanities, whose tools will help him with digital storytelling, mapping environmental activist networks, and visualizing temperature and sea-level rise across the world (and especially in the Sundarbans). He has also begun to feel like he has the spark to be an original writer, and might well end his Ph.D. with a creative writing specialization.

Courses Taught

• ENGL 110 College Composition I

Selected Publications and Presentations

• “The Interplay of Christianity and Indigenous Spirituality vis-à-vis Resistance in The Seed Keeper.”  Harvest:  Jahangirnagar University Studies in Language and Literature, vol. 40, forthcoming.

• “Industrial Agriculture vis-à-vis Indigenous Seed-Keeping: Mangenta’s Impact in The Seed Keeper.”  The International Journal of Critical Cultural Studies, vol. 24, no. 2, 2025, pp. 39-53.  DOI:  https://doi.org/10.18848/2327-0055/CGP/v24i02/39-53.

• “Sexual Fluidity in Mohsin Hamid’s Exit West."  Journal of Critical Studies in Language and Literature, vol. 2, no. 1, 2020, pp. 13-21.  DOI:  https://doi.org/10.46809/jcsll.v2i1.48.

• with Chakma, Dinalo, et al. “Digital Humanities as New Media:  A Quali-Quantitative Study on University English Department Students of Bangladesh.”  Journal of Jessore University of Science and Technology, vol. 3, no. 2, Dec. 2018, pp. 85-90.

• “Concept of Guilt as Exposed in Milan Kundera’s The Unbearable Lightness of Being and William Gibson’s Neuromancer.”  Journal of Jessore University of Science and Technology, vol. 2, no. 1, Dec. 2017, pp. 45-52.

• terese.m.azure@UND.edu

• Graduate Teaching Assistant
• Merrifield Hall Room 240G
• sasha.battrell@UND.edu

• Graduate Teaching Assistant
• Merrifield Hall Room 224
• lottie.caldwell@UND.edu

Biography

Lottie began her educational journey at a small college in her area. She earned an Associate’s degree in liberal arts from Lake Region State College. She then set her sights on Dickinson State University, which awarded her a B.A. in English.

• Graduate Teaching Assistant
• Merrifield Hall Room 240G
• trisha.choudhury@UND.edu

Biography

Trisha is primarily interested in cultural studies and feminist theory, with a focus on how literature reflects and shapes broader social concerns. Her goal is to continue contributing to the field of literary studies through both teaching and research, fostering critical engagement with texts while creating an inclusive classroom environment. Beyond her academic work, Trisha enjoys a wide range of creative and recreational pursuits, drawing, singing, playing badminton, and exploring new interests whenever possible. She believes that maintaining a balance between scholarship and personal passions not only sustains her energy, but also enriches the perspectives she brings to her academic work.

• Graduate Teaching Assistant
• Merrifield Hall Room 210
• duhita.chowdhury@UND.edu

Biography

Duhita is primarily interested in literature and film focusing on women and gender issues. She has worked as a university lecturer in Bangladesh, teaching Victorian poetry, modern English fiction, and women’s writing. She is motivated to understand the language of literature and visual representation of it, and is planning to pursue her Ph.D. in English. In addition to reading, Duhita loves listening to music, watching movies and television series, and travelling.  She also spends some of her time journaling and scrapbooking.

• Graduate Teaching Assistant
• Merrifield Hall Room 224
• rohama.chowdhury@UND.edu

Biography

Rohama’s research interests include gender, sexuality and cultural studies. She feels a responsibility to explore the agony of individuals who are ignored by society – especially women, whose voices are often silenced – and is determined to work in subaltern studies, exploring the little things in life that are often overlooked, but make positive contributions to social justice. Rohama has presented conference papers on Mahasweta Devi’s The Breast Stories, Neelima Ibrahim’s I, the War Heroine, Speaks, and Olivia Newman’s film Where the Crawdads Sing, earning awards for the last two. She has taught at RTM Al-Kabir Technical University in Bangladesh, as a lecturer in the English program. She finds joy in weaving words into poems while listening to music.

• Graduate Teaching Assistant
• Merrifield Hall Room 210
• tanvir.chowdhury.1@UND.edu

Biography

For Tanvir, literature is a medium through which we can observe life and our surroundings in a different way. He is interested in gender studies, sexuality, women’s education, and film theory, and is eager to explore digital humanities. Tanvir has been a photographer for eight and a half years, and tries to connect literature to visual art so that his words can be expressed and perceived in new ways.

• Graduate Teaching Assistant
• Merrifield Hall Room 210
• benjamin.cragun@UND.edu

Biography

Benjamin’s research interests include composition, rhetorical theory, and translation studies; he also has a love for early British literature. Benjamin spent his childhood in England, and his exposure to two dialects of the same language has made him aware of cultural differences in language use. He’s spent time as a religious missionary in Bolivia, and was awarded a Superior Certificate in Business Spanish from the Chamber of Commerce of Madrid. Benjamin earned his Bachelor of Arts in English Literary Studies, with double minors in Music and Spanish, from Utah Valley University in Fall of 2024, and published in Essais, UVU’s journal of literary and cultural criticism. Benjamin is father to a beautiful daughter and husband to a brilliant wife. He is also a mediocre organist and an aspiring artist of stick-figures, and he is working on how to fold fitted sheets (there has to be a way!).

• violet.ingeborg@UND.edu

• Graduate Teaching Assistant
• Merrifield Hall Room 224
• mdhasibul.islam@UND.edu

Biography

Hasib is deeply passionate about life, literature, and ideas; his commitment to simple living and high thinking guides his academic journey. He wants to explore the formation of individual identity and agency within social spaces, particularly through the lenses of gender, sexuality, and the body. He is also interested in how identities are negotiated through rhetorical choices made in writing. Before joining UND, Hasib taught for eight years at an army-run university in Bangladesh. He also contributed to the National Curriculum and Textbook Board as a translator, reviewer, and writer: he is co-author and co-editor of English for Today, the national textbook for grade 5 in Bangladesh. He finds inspiration in the words of Matsuo Bashō: “Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.” He sketches his experiences of this journey in poems and stories, some of which have been published in blogs, newspapers, and literary magazines.

• Graduate Teaching Assistant
• Merrifield Hall Room 224
• sanjida.kalam@UND.edu

Biography

Sanjida is a Bangladeshi student, and is interested in postcolonial literature, especially the literatures of South Asia and Africa.  Her work engages with media studies and environmental studies; she has presented papers at several international conferences, and recently published her first article, on V. S. Naipaul’s novel A Bend in the River.  Being a South Asian woman, she feels a call to work on the problems that women face in that region, and she wants to learn more about the field of gender studies.  Sanjida also finds peace in nature, and she loves to be with her family.

• Graduate Teaching Assistant
• Merrifield Hall Room 210
• brenden.kimpe@UND.edu

Biography

Brenden graduated from UND in the spring of 2025, with a B.A. in English and certificates in creative writing and writing, editing, and publishing. Brenden’s interests lie primarily in fiction writing, and one of his goals is to find and strengthen the connections between literary study and creative work. He grew up in rural southwestern Minnesota, which inspired his interests in both reading and writing Midwestern gothic literature. As an undergraduate, Brenden was an officer in various clubs and organizations, serving as vice-president of the Future Educators of UND, social media coordinator of the Smile Society, secretary of the Adelphi Literary Society, and section editor for Floodwall Magazine. When he’s not in Merrifield, Brenden can be found biking on the Greenway, reading a horror novel, writing outlandish stories, cooking Midwestern cuisine, or having idle conversations with his cat, Marceline.

• w.kleberg@UND.edu

Biography

Grant is originally from Golden Valley, Minnesota. He majored in English and Secondary Education at UND and has taught high school English for seven years in Grand Forks. Some of his favorite works include Roberto Bolaño’s The Savage Detectives and James Joyce’s Dubliners; he also enjoys exploring postmodern American fiction. He hopes to grow as both a scholar and a teacher of English in his return to UND. In his free time, Grant enjoys watching soccer, playing golf, and gaming on his PlayStation.

• Graduate Teaching Assistant
• Merrifield Hall Room 224
• tasrif.mahmud@UND.edu

Biography

Aivan is a researcher of medievalism, with a focus on comparative devotional literature. His theoretical interests include gender and queer theory, through which he examines the portrayal of body and identity, the cultural and religious influences behind these depictions, and the impact of literary representations of the body on social thought. He is also drawn to Arthurian romance, hermetism, mythology, and the evolution of occultism, religion, and stoicism. While his primary passion lies in pre-modern texts, he is eager to extend his scope into modern movements such as surrealism and magical realism. Beyond scholarship, Aivan writes in the genres of gothic horror and metaphysical poetry, and finds inspiration in art and music, especially the works of Salvador Dalí and the band Pink Floyd. He considers himself a spider in the literary web, weaving connections between cultures and traditions, and feels that the world is just a bigger version of The Canterbury Tales.

• Graduate Teaching Assistant
• Merrifield Hall Room 210
• mdsabere.montaha@UND.edu

Biography

Saber is interested in exploring the interdisciplinary intersections of cultural studies, particularly the ways in which literature reflects the complexities of identity formation. His research interests include intersectionality, displacement, trauma theory, identity theory, and the influence of virtual spaces on identity. During an eight-year career teaching English literature in Bangladesh, he presented several pieces at conferences and published others in scholarly journals. Saber loves translating prominent works of Bengali literature to English, and has published many of those translations as well. A native of Bangladesh, he finds peace in nature’s serenity, often seeking inspiration from the wilderness and its mysterious depths.

• Graduate Teaching Assistant
• Merrifield Hall Room 240G
• danika.ogawa@UND.edu

Biography

Dani studied English and communications at UND, and earned her bachelor’s degree in 2024.  During her time as an undergraduate, her love of all things literary pushed her to obtain one certificate in creative writing, and another in writing, editing, and publishing.  She has published poetry and creative nonfiction in undergraduate literary magazines such as Beyond Thought, Quirk!, and UND’s own Floodwall.  Dani finds joy in creating an experience by writing, whether it be a poem about wizards, or a nonfiction piece about the struggles of loss.  As a graduate student she is also excited to continue her pursuit in the worlds of writing and editing, and hopes to explore a newfound interest in literary criticism, broadening her understanding of the subject.

Dani is from Grand Forks; when her nose isn’t inside a book, you can find her writing at a local coffee shop, teaching dance, or spending time with her one-eyed dog, Oscar.

• Graduate Teaching Assistant
• Merrifield Hall Room 224
• ryan.prusak@UND.edu

Biography

Ryan studied marketing as an undergraduate at UND, earning his B.A. in spring 2025 with a minor in criminal justice and a certificate in creative writing. Needless to say, his interests are eclectic! Speculative novels have a special place his heart, but he is interested in exploring other forms of writing, from poetry to criticism to professional communications in general. Ryan has written a young-adult fantasy manuscript, titled Regicide: Eye of the Seraphim, and he has multiple other creative projects currently in the works. As a graduate student, he seeks to further his knowledge as a reader, his craft as a writer, and his proficiency as a communicator and educator. Born and raised in Grand Forks, Ryan enjoys cooking, video games, and popular culture. Above all, though, he cherishes any time spent with his fiancée Sienna, and his dilute calico cat Powder.

• Graduate Teaching Assistant
• Merrifield Hall Room 224
• drake.reiland@UND.edu

• Graduate Teaching Assistant
• Merrifield Hall Room 240G
• y.withanapathiranneh@UND.edu

Biography

Yeshani is excited to explore her passion for nineteenth-century British literature, and to broaden her interests across other areas of British literature. Originally from Sri Lanka, she discovered her love of reading at a young age and carried it into her studies, earning her B.A. in teaching English as a second language with a minor in English literature. Before coming to UND, she spent three years teaching English to undergraduates and nursing professionals, an experience that strengthened her love for sharing knowledge with others. Outside her studies, Yeshani enjoys painting, camping, and taking long walks through the woods. She also loves spending time with animals, finding inspiration in their companionship and in the beauty of nature.

• Graduate Teaching Assistant
• Merrifield Hall Room 224
• arafath.simon@UND.edu

Biography

Saimom is interested in postcolonialism, and especially in important issues of the current moment such as border studies, diasporas, refugees, multilingualism, political resistance, and social justice.  While he was concerned about choosing English literature over engineering as an undergraduate major, he was inspired by reading texts that explore human life and suffering.  Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, and Khaled Hosseini’s A Kite Runner made him think about the reasons the world is the way it is.  Motivated by these writers, Saimom aims to be a voice for people who aren’t allowed to speak.  He wants to focus on refugee crises and discrimination, being aware of such concepts as a resident of Bangladesh, where millions of Rohingya people have fled after being forced to leave their homeland in Myanmar.  Saimom also hopes to help reshape the teaching of language and literature in Bangladesh after studying other countries where English is spoken as a second language.

• Graduate Teaching Assistant
• Merrifield Hall Room 210
• faiza.simran@UND.edu

Biography

Faiza explores the intersection of twentieth-century British and American literature and East Asian literary traditions, as well as creative writing. She is also interested in the roles of editing and publishing in shaping literary discourse. Faiza writes both fiction and nonfiction; her writing style explores the relationships between imaginary worlds and real human experiences and emotions. She aspires to pursue a Ph.D. in English and contribute to scholarship, storytelling, and literary culture generally. Outside the academic realm, Faiza loves exploring digital media from diverse cultures, and enjoys stories that transcend cultural boundaries. She is an avid animal lover, and she enjoys spending time with her cat Yuki.

• Web Writer, Rural Health
• brendan.stermer@UND.edu

Biography

Brendan grew up in Montevideo, Minnesota, and studied philosophy at the University of Minnesota, Morris. His chapbook, Forgotten Frequencies (NDSU Press, 2023) was selected as the winner of the 2023 Poetry of the Plains & Prairies Award and named a 2024 Midwest Book Awards finalist. He is the host and producer of Interesting People Reading Poetry, a short-form podcast where artists and luminaries read a favorite poem and share what it means to them. He works for the UND Center for Rural Health as a writer exploring emerging rural health issues across the country. His interests include letterpress printing, independent publishing, and the literary history of the Upper Midwest.