Dr. Lorelei Blackburn is an Assistant Professor in the Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures (WRAC) Department at Michigan State University. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Purdue University, her Master of Arts in Rhetoric and Writing from DePaul University, and her PhD in Rhetoric and Writing from Michigan State University. She has taught classes domestically, online, and in Uganda, Qatar, and the Republic of Georgia, to both native English speakers and to ESL/EFL students.
Lorelei’s research on trauma-informed pedagogy uses a disability studies framework and anti-racist and anti-ableist pedagogies to consider accessibility for trauma-affected students in first-year writing classrooms and beyond. Her commitment to and extensive experiences with trauma-affected learners, including refugees, victims of sexual assault, victims of gang violence, and former child soldiers, also informs her research.
Lorelei also values community-engaged pedagogy and has built sustainable relationships and worked with local, national, and international community partners including The National Ovarian Cancer Coalition (NOCC), The Autistic Self-Advocacy Network (ASAN), Computers and Composition Digital Press (CCDP), Mental Health Information for Teens (MHIT), and the Bagwere Kusetuka Association.
Her work has appeared in journals and books including WPA: Journal of the Council of Writing Program Administrators and Service-Learning in Literacy Education: Possibilities for Teacher Educators. She is also the recipient of the Kairos/Bedford St. Martin’s Award for Teaching and the Outstanding Student Service Heart & Soul Award from Michigan Campus Compact.
Lorelei is a native of Chicago, and travels home often. When not teaching or doing academic research, she enjoys photography, travel, thinking deeply about life, breathing in ocean air, stopping to smell flowers, and making friends with every dog that comes her way. In addition to her current academic writing projects, she is currently writing several children’s books.