Faculty Title Adjunct Faculty Education PhD, University of Minnesota; BA, Waldorf College I have received my PhD in Comparative Literature with a minor in Germanic Studies at the University of Minnesota. I work on eastern and central European literature and culture, concentrating on reflections of totalitarianism, revolution and democracy. I read and interpret texts that seek to relate personal experiences and stories from this regime for the western reader, in an attempt to establish a connection with this reader. I translate these works into English from several languages. In my analyses, I employ the psychoanalytic concepts of testimony, repeating and working through, as ways of dealing with the trauma that has been inflicted on the eastern European for decades. I also analyze present-day texts which reflect on the local version of capitalism and socio-cultural changes caused by the effects of globalization. In addition to pieces of literature, I also analyze works of art, photos, films, TV shows and news articles. I am committed to promoting Slovak and other eastern European culture in the Anglophone world, which is illustrated by my translation, editing and promotion of Michal Hvorecky's novel, Danube in America.