About Me

Research

My research centers on memory, identity, and narrative nonfiction, with particular focus on postcolonial African literary history and the representation of historical trauma. I examine how personal narrative can illuminate collective histories, especially in the context of the Herero and Nama genocide in Namibia.

Current Projects

Doctoral Memoir: Being When Meant Not to Be

A creative nonfiction meditation on the Herero and Nama genocide, weaving together archival research, family history, and personal narrative. This work explores how we inherit trauma, how we write ourselves into fractured histories, and what it means to claim space as a descendant of genocide survivors in the present moment.

Collaborative Memoir: My Father's Voice

A first-person narrative memoir in my father's voice, documenting his life under apartheid in Namibia. Through extended interviews and collaborative writing, this project captures an intimate family history situated within the broader political and social landscape of late 20th-century southern Africa.

Essays & Publications

My published work includes lyric essays, academic articles, and creative nonfiction exploring themes of inheritance, memory, genocide, climate change, and the ethics of narrative representation. Recent publications include "Spook Asem" (with Leslie Heywood) in Humans and Nature, and "Basters" in an edited volume on African history.

Conference Presentations & Guest Lectures

  • "Mama Penee: Transcending the Genocide" — Guest Lecture, Georgia State University, October 2023
  • "Writing Creatively About Genocide" — Guest Lecture, Binghamton University, November 2022
  • "Writing the Abuser in Nonfiction" — Association for Writers and Writing Programs (AWP), Virtual Conference, March 2021

Research Interests

  • Postcolonial African literary history and theory
  • Creative nonfiction and narrative ethics
  • Memory studies and historical trauma
  • Genocide representation and testimony
  • Transnational and diasporic identity
  • Climate literature and environmental justice
  • The intersection of personal and political narrative