Hill

I was born outside of Cleveland, Ohio, where I received a B.A. in English at Cleveland State University. All my life, I have enjoyed walking as a means of relaxation and reflection, but at a certain point while I was still living in Cleveland, I realized I was simply walking around the block, seeing the same sights, talking to the same people, and as much as I enjoyed all of that, I desperately wanted to break out of that! My current position here in Buffalo, New York puts me the closest I've been to my home town since 1985, and I've recently realized that my life has been a huge walk around the block. Along the way, I have lived in Syracuse, New York, attending and working for Syracuse University, from which I received my M.A. in English and Fiction Writing, then New York City, where I completed a Ph.D. in Performance Studies from New York University. My areas of interest include performance & the media, psychoanalytical theory & gender theory, and the history of technology. Before coming to Buffalo, I lived for a year in Natchez, Mississippi, while teaching at Alcorn State University.

I love traveling and reading about and experiencing other cultures. I do believe that we come to know both ourselves and others more fully through the direct experience of other cultures, and I encourage my students to do that. During the eight years I worked for Syracuse, I was able to live for a semester in London, while teaching for Syracuse's London Program. Between 1989 and 1999, I was able to travel to many countries, including England, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Greece, Russia, Australia, Iceland, Central America, Southeast Asia, and South Africa. My longest time abroad was the four years I lived in Ankara, Turkey (1999-2003). While there, I served as a faculty member at Baskent University, and that solidified my interest in international education and creating links between classrooms in various countries. But I also made some wonderful friends, and learned to love that fantastic culture. I continue to travel whenever possible now, but when the opportunity arises, I generally go back to Turkey! I'm now the Chair of the Humanities Department at Medaille College, where I also teach courses in Dramatic Literature and Writing.

This is Pisi (read: Peeshee), aka Minnosh. Turkish friends might recognize her name at least. She was a street cat in Ankara before I took her in! She has been with me nine years now. She loves to travel as much as I do!

My other cat, [|Squeak], looks a little like a Turkish Angora, but I got her here in Buffalo. She had the distinct honor of being voted Cat of the Day on September 23, 2008!

A knock out cat/domino video - Flippycat! media type="youtube" key="4QssmIIs-8Q" height="295" width="480"