Katie O'Toole is a 6th year PhD Candidate in Literature and Medieval Studies. Her dissertation research explores how Old English vernacular texts portray and construct communities, as well as how exile and medieval Christian understandings of salvation contribute to that construction. In addition to her scholarship, she has taught many courses in literature and rhetoric (including Rhet 105, Advanced Composition, Shakespeare, Science Fiction, History of the English Language, and Medieval Literature and Culture), served as an assistant director for the Rhetoric Program, and currently works as the editorial assistant for the Journal of English and Germanic Philology.
When she isn't buried in books, she cares for a nearby friend's horses and schools them (and herself!) in dressage. Occasionally, Katie's professional background in the horse industry makes its way into her scholarship, including her forthcoming publication, "Horse Slobber and Sacred Relics: The Role of Constantine's Horse in Cynewulf's Elene."