Acknowledgments

Page 141 →Writing this book has been a lesson in gratitude. Its completion is due in large part to the many people who challenged, supported, and encouraged me along the way.

I am deeply grateful to Donna LeCourt, Anne Herrington, and Rebecca Dingo, whose mentorship shaped both this project and my development as a scholar and writer. Their insights, encouragement, and rigorous guidance were essential to the dissertation from which this book emerges, and their influence continues to resonate throughout these pages.

I am also grateful to my students and colleagues from both the University of Massachusetts Amherst—my alma mater, where I first began teaching and writing this book—and the University of Southern Maine, where I have continued this work. Across these institutions, my students have reminded me daily why this work matters, bringing insight, energy, and curiosity into every classroom. My colleagues have offered encouragement, collaboration, and friendship, creating a community that has sustained me as both a teacher and a scholar. Their presence and support have enriched not only this book but also the ongoing work that grows from it.

I extend my sincere thanks to the University of South Carolina Press for their belief in this project. I am especially grateful to Victoria Gallagher and Aurora Bell for their thoughtful support throughout the publication process. Their commitment and care helped bring this book into being.

Equally vital to this project has been the love and friendship of many. I am grateful to the friends who offered encouragement, read drafts, and reminded me of the joy and purpose behind this project. Their generosity of time and spirit provided both intellectual companionship and personal strength.

My deepest gratitude is to my family. To my parents for their unwavering support, and above all to my mother, whose constant belief in me and my work has sustained me from the very beginning. This book is dedicated to her, with the hope that she sees in its pages the reflection of her love and sacrifices. I am also grateful to my brother, grandparents, and extended family, who have always encouraged and supported me.

Page 142 →Most of all, I thank my own little family: my husband, Brett, whose love, patience, and partnership make everything possible, and our two daughters, Fira and Esme, whose laughter and light continually remind me of what matters most. This book is also dedicated to them—my daughters—with the hope that, like my mother before them, they will claim their place in the world as strong women, undaunted and unafraid, certain always that their voices matter. May they always know that this work, in every way, is for them.

Finally, I am grateful for the steadfast companionship of Leo, my loyal dog and writing partner, whose quiet presence and unconditional affection anchored me through every stage of this project, from its very first pages to its last.