Leah Misemer

lsmisemer(at)gmail(dot)com

Last Updated: October 2022

Academic Employment

Georgia Institute of Technology
  • Assistant Director, Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) Program, 2022-Present
  • Marion L. Brittain Postdoctoral Fellow, 2017-Present
  • First-Year Writing Instructor, 2017-Present
  • Communication Center Professional Tutor, 2017-Present
  • Assistant Director of the Communication Center, 2018-2019

University of Wisconsin-Madison

  • Director of the Writing Center, Summer 2017
  • English Department Part Time Faculty, 2016-2017
  • Writing Center Instructor, 2011-2017
  • Social Media Coordinator and Grant Consultant for Joshua Calhoun, 2015-2016
  • Website Researcher and Editor for Africa Cartoons, 2014-2016
  • English Department Teaching Assistant, 2010-2015
  • Coordinator of the the Online Writing Center, 2013-2014
  • Researcher and Editor for Michael Bernard-Donals, 2009-2010
  • Podcast Editor for Anja Wanner, 2009-2010

Education

University of Wisconsin Madison
  • Ph.D. in English Literature, August 2016
    • Minor in Visual Rhetoric and Popular Culture
  • M.A. in English Literature
Georgia State University
  • M.Ed. in Secondary English Education, August 2007
Washington University in St. Louis
  • B.A. Cum Laude in English and Art History, May 2005

Publications

Book Projects

Monograph

  • Comics Correspondents: The Counterpublics of Seriality (under contract with The Ohio State University Press)

Edited Collections

  • Conversations: Lynda Barry (under contract with University of Mississippi Press)
  • Invisible Made Visible: Comics and Mental Illness (with Jessica Gross; under contract with Penn State University Press)
Refereed Articles
  • “Playing it Slow: Community Building Through Webcomics.” American Periodicals. Forum on New Approaches to Comics in Periodical Media, Eds. Alex Beringer and Felix Brinker (forthcoming Fall 2022).
  • “Serial Critique: The Counterpublic of Wimmen’s Comix.” Inks 3.1. Special issue on The Counterpublics of Underground Comix, Eds. Margaret Galvan and Leah Misemer (2019).
  • “A Historical Approach to Webcomics: Digital Authorship in the Early 2000s.” The Comics Grid: Journal of Comics Scholarship 9.1 (2019).
  • “LGBTQ Identity in the Correspondence Zone: Thinking Seriality with José Muñoz.” Scholarly comic for Sequentials 1.2 special issue on “Queer” as Noun, Adjective and/or Verb.  (2018).
  • “English 177: Literature and Popular Culture, Introduction to the Graphic Novel.” Composition Studies. Special issue on Comics, Multimodality, and Composition. 43.1 (2015).
  • “Breaking Barriers: Moving Beyond Orientalism in Comics Studies.” Forum for World Literature Studies 3.1 (2011).
Book Chapters
  • “Teaching the Unthinkable: An Interview with Lynda Barry.” Solicited for With Great Power Comes Great Pedagogy, edited by Susan Kirtley, Peter Carlson, and Antero Garcia (University of Mississippi Press 2020).
  • “Subverting Stigma: Community Building in Serial Comics.” Solicited for Pathographics: Narrative, Aesthetics, Contention, Community, edited by Susan Squier and Irmela J. Krüger-Fürhoff (Penn State University Press, 2020).
  • “Building Institutions: Comics Studies at University of Wisconsin-Madison, A North American Case Study.” Solicited for Teaching Comics and Graphic Novels: Pedagogy and Practice for the 21st Century, edited by David Seelow (McFarland 2019).
  • “Hands Across the Ocean: A 1970s Network of French and American Women Cartoonists.” Solicited for Comics Studies Here and Now, edited by Frederick Luis Aldama (Routledge 2018).
  • “Subverting Stigma: Community Building in Serial Comics.” Solicited for Pathographics: Narrative, Aesthetics, Contention, Community, edited by Susan Squier and Irmela Krueger-Fuerhoff (forthcoming from Penn State University Press).
  • “Teaching the Unthinkable: An Interview with Lynda Barry.” Solicited for With Great Power Comics Great Pedagogy, edited by Susan Kirtley, Peter Carlson, and Antero Garcia (forthcoming from University of Mississippi Press).
  • “Webcomics.” Solicited for Keywords in Comics Studies, edited by Ramzi Fawaz, Deborah Whaley, and Shelley Streeby (forthcoming from New York University Press).
Article/Chapter Manuscripts in Progress
  • “Beyond University Boundaries: Comics and Civic Engagement” (in progress)
  • “Comics in the RESISTance: Drawing on a Genealogy of Protest” (in progress)
Book Reviews
  • Superman: The Persistence of an American Icon by Ian Gordon, in Journal of Comics and Culture 1.2 (2017).
  • Serials to Graphic Novels: The Evolution of the Victorian Illustrated Book by Catherine J. Golden, in Victoriographies 8.2 (2018).
Online Scholarly Contributions

Research & Teaching Interests

Comics Studies; Visual Rhetoric; Community Engagement; Science Communication; Digital Composition; Medical Humanities; 20th Century American Literature and Popular Culture; Gender and Women’s Studies;

Dissertation

Title: The Great Crossover: Readers and Authors in American Serial Comics

Committee: Ramzi Fawaz, Timothy Yu, Christa Olson, Adam Kern, Carol Tilley

Recognition and Funding

Organization Funding
  • A.W. Mellon Grant, Comics Workshop, 2013-2015 ($10,000)
  • Lecture Committee Grant, English Graduate Student Association, 2014 ($830)
  • Support from various UW-Madison departments and organizations, MadLit: English Graduate Student Conference, 2013-2014 ($1800)
Teaching Awards
  • Writing & Communication Program Award for Multimodal Innovation, Spring 2019
  • Writing & Communication Program Award for Excellence in Pedagogy, Spring 2018 (Finalist)
  • Georgia Tech Thank a Teacher Award, Fall 2017
  • UW-Madison University Housing Honored Instructor Award, 2012
Funding for Research and Teaching
  • Georgia Tech Biological Sciences Living Learning Community Partnership ($1000)
  • Georgia Tech Arts in the Classroom Grant, Spring 2018 ($1500)
  • Georgia Tech Serve Learn Sustain Grant, Spring 2018 ($1500)
  • Mellon-Wisconsin Summer Fellowship, Summer 2015 ($6750)
  • English Department Summer Dissertation Fellowship, Summer 2013 ($4500)

Presentations

Invited Talks and Panels

(*indicates presentation outside the U.S.)

  • “Comics and the City.” Trinity Presbyterian Church. Atlanta, GA. May 2022.
  • “Book By Its Cover: Comics and Censorship.” Temple Sinai. Atlanta, GA. March 2022.
  • “‘Seeing all your comments makes me feel less alone’: Webcomics and Depression.” Co-Sponsored by Rakham Interdisciplinary Workshop on Transnational Comics Studies and U-M Council for Disability Concerns. Ann Arbor, MI. October 2019.
  • “Forming Supportive Communities: Webcomics and Depression.” Emory Disability Studies Initiative Scholar Showcase. Atlanta, GA. April 2019.
  • “Activating the Medium: A Comics Activism Roundtable.” Cartoon Crossroads Columbus Scholarly Symposium. Columbus, OH. September 2018.
  • “Comics Crossover: International Women Cartoonists in the 1970s.” Madison Public Library. Madison, WI. April 2016.
  • “Comics Crossover: Transcending Academic and National Boundaries.” Plenary address. UW-Madison Graduate Conference on Language and Literature. Madison, WI. March 2016.
Conferences and Speaker Series Organized
  • Conference co-chair, with Amy Huseby. UW-Madison Graduate Conference on Language and Literature. Madison, WI. February 2014 (Conference Organizer 2013-2014)
  • A.W. Mellon Workshop on Comics (speaker and event series). Co-organized with Adam Kern, James Danky, Alicia Foley, and Jessica Gross. Madison, WI (2013-2015)
Panels Organized
  • “Decolonizing Comics and/as Activism.” Co-organizer with Rachel Kunert-Graff. Virtual. January 2021.
  • “Webcomics and/as Digital Media.” Modern Language Association. Seattle, WA. January 2020.
  • “Graphic Resistance: Comics and Social Protest.” Co-organizer, with Margaret Galvan (U of Florida). Modern Language Association. New York, NY. January 2018.
  • “Invisible Made Visible: Comics and Mental Illness.”Co-organizer, with Jessica Gross (St. Louis School of Pharmacy). Modern Language Association. Philadelphia, PA. January 2017.
  • “Counterpublics of Underground Comics.” Co-organizer, with Margaret Galvan (CUNY). Modern Language Association. Austin, TX. January 2016.
  • “Virtual Women: Webcomics.” Modern Language Association. Vancouver, CA. January 2015.
Conference Presentations
  • “Playing it Slow to Build Community: The Online Serial Publication of Hyperbole and a Half.” International Comic Arts Forum. Bethesda, MD (accepted 2020; conference canceled due to COVID).
  • “Visualizing Healthcare Communication with Pinfo.” Graphic Medicine. Toronto,CA (accepted 2020; conference canceled due to COVID).
  • “Sketchnotes in the Classrom.” MSU Comics Forum. East Lansing, MI. February 2020.
  • “Beyond University Boundaries: Comics Creation as Civic Engagement.” Plenary panel for International Comic Arts Forum. Davenport, IA. April 2019.
  • “Panel/Page: A Research Drawing Jam.” Modern Language Association. Chicago, IL. January 2019.
  • “The Hybrid Lettercol: Ms. Marvel and #KamalaKorps.” Modern Language Association. Chicago, IL. January 2019.
  • “Queer Representation in Sandman: Comics and Culture Wars of the 1990s.” Modern Language Association. New York, NY. January 2018.
  • “Splitting the Difference: Crafting a Genealogy of Feminist Media Through Comics.” International Comic Arts Forum. Seattle, WA. November 2017.
  • *”Subverting Stigma: Community Building in Serial Comics.” Pathographics. Berlin, Germany. October 2017.
  • “Webcomics Building Communities: Depression and Visibility in Hyperbole and a Half.” Comics and Medicine. Seattle, WA. June 2017.
  • “Taking Serial Comics Seriously: International Feminist Comics Anthologies.” Cartoon Crossroads Columbus. Columbus, OH. October 2016.
  • “Cooperative Competition: Reciprocal Guest Comics in Webcomics.” International Comic Arts Forum. Columbia, SC. April 2016.
  • “Authorship as Feminist Activism: The Wimmen’s Comix Community.” American Comparative Literature Association. Boston, MA. March 2016.
  • *”Webcomics Authorship: The Economics of Building Internet Communities.” Hermes Consortium for Literary and Cultural Studies. Pragrue, Czech Republic. June 2015.
  • “Welcome to Africa Cartoons!: Navigating Politics and Design Through the Digital Archive,” with Caitlin Tyler-Richards. Poster Presentation. Going Public: The Second Annual Digital Humanities and Art Symposium. Madison, WI. April 2015.
  • “Networked Readers and Authors: Fan Letters in Serial Comics.” South Atlantic Modern Language Association. Atlanta, GA. November 2013.
  • “The Paper Son in Graphic Form: GB Tran’s Vietnamerica.” South Atlantic Modern Language Association. Atlanta, GA. November 2013.
  • “Comics as Media Ecologies: Using Comics for Multimedia Composition.” Midwestern Modern Language Association. Cincinnati, OH. November 2012.
  • “Breaking Barriers: Moving Beyond Orientalism in Comics Studies.” Purdue Comparative Literature Graphic Engagement Conference. West Lafayette, IN. November 2010.
Panel Participation
  • *”New Directions in Comics Pedagogy.” Comics Studies Society. Toronto, CA. July 2019.
  • “Lightening Pedagogy Roundtable.” International Comic Arts Forum. Davenport, IA. April 2019.
  • “What Can Book History Tell Us About Comics?” MSU Comics Forum. Lansing, MI. February 2019.
  • “Multimodal Excellence.” New Brittain Fellows Orientation at Georgia Tech. Atlanta, GA. August 2018 and August 2019.
  • “Rewriting Women in Comics Studies.” Comics Studies Society Conference. Champaign, IL. August 2018.
  • “Comics Studies at UW-Madison: A Panel Discussion.” A.W. Mellon Workshop on Comics. Madison, WI. April 2014.
  • “The Evolved Crossover in Sandman: Identification and Community in Comics.” Plenary Panel. Midwestern Conference on Language, Literature, and Media. Dekalb, IL. March 2013.
Research Drawing Jam Workshop
  • International Writing Center Association. Columbus, OH. October 2019.
  • *Comics Studies Society.  Toronto, CA. July 2019
  • Modern Language Association. Chicago, IL. January 2019.
  • Graduate Student Government Association. Georgia Tech. Atlanta, GA. February and December 2018.
  • Sloan Foundation Fellows. Georgia Tech. Atlanta, GA. October 2018.
  • Epic Intentions (undergraduate volunteer organization). Georgia Tech. Atlanta, GA. April 2018.
  • Communication Center. Georgia Tech. Atlanta, GA. November 2017.

Teaching Experience

Faculty, Georgia Tech Literature, Media, Communication
  • Intermedia Composition: Black in America, online, 2020-2021.
  • Intermediate Composition: Seeing the System: Visualizing Science Communication,  2019.
  • Intermediate Composition: Webcomics, Print, and Digital Culture, Spring 2019.
  • Intermediate Composition: Graphic Medicine: Comics and Mental Health (paired with Biological Sciences Living Learning Community), Fall 2018.
  • Intermediate Composition: Comics and Civic Engagement, Spring 2018.
  • First Year Composition: Digital Authorship, Fall 2017.
Instructor of Record, UW-Madison English Department
  • Introduction to Composition: Digital Authorship, Spring 2017.
  • Intermediate Composition: Public Memorial, Fall 2012 and Spring 2013.
  • Introduction to Composition: Introduction to College Composition, Spring 2012.
  • Introduction to Composition: Writing As Performance, Fall 2011.
Teaching Assistant, UW-Madison English Department
  • English 214: The English Language, Fall 2016.
  • English 242: British and Anglophone Literature since 1790, Spring 2015.
  • English 243: American Literature and Culture, Fall 2014.
  • English 169: Introduction to Modern American Literature, Spring 2011.
  • English 177: Introduction to the Graphic Novel, Fall 2010.
Writing Center Teaching
  • Assistant Director, Communication Center, Georgia Tech, Fall 2018-2019.
  • Professional Tutor, Communication Center, Georgia Tech, Fall 2017-Present.
  • Director, UW-Madison Writing Center, Summer 2017.
  • Writing Center Instructor, UW-Madison, 2011-2016.
  • Writing Center Outreach Staff, UW-Madison, Fall 2016.
  • Writing Center Online Staff: Skype Instruction, UW-Madison, Fall 2014.
  • TA Coordinator of the Online Writing Center, UW-Madison, 2013-2014.
  • Writing Center Online Staff: Email Instruction, UW-Madison, 2012-2013.
  • Writing Center Tutor, Washington University in St. Louis, 2004-2005.
Guest Lectures
  • “Comics in the RESISTance: The Women’s March 2017.” Politics and Comics. Dr. Margaret Galvan. University of Florida, 2018.
  • “The Counterpublics of Wimmen’s Comix.” Gender in Comics. Francesca Lyn. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2018.
  • “Gertrude Stein and Pablo Picasso: Critiquing Universal Perspective.” English 242: British and Anglophone Literature since 1790. UW-Madison. Dr. Nirvana Tanoukhi, 2015.
  • “Comics and the Brain.” Visualizing Science and Technology. UW-Madison. Dr. Sheila Reaves, 2012.
  • “Adapting the Classics: Framing in Arabian Nights.” English 563: The Graphic Novel. Dr. Robin Valenza. UW-Madison, 2012.
  • “Fun Home and Identity: Fact or Fiction.” English 177: Introduction to the Graphic Novel. Dr. Robin Valenza. UW-Madison, 2011.
Workshop Leadership

Georgia Tech Communication Center

  • Professional Emails, 2018 (1 session)
  • Poster Presentation, 2017-2019 (12 sessions)
  • Grant Writing, 2017-2019 (6 sessions)
  • Research Drawing Jam, 2017-2018, (8 sessions)
  • Pitching Your Work to the Public, 2017-2018 (4 sessions)
  • Undergraduate Research Proposals, 2017-2019 (6 sessions)
  • Visual Rhetoric and Presentations, 2017 (1 session)

University of Wisconsin-Madison

  • Organizing Long Projects with Scrivener, Writing Center, 2013-2015 (4 sessions)
  • Good and Fast: Responding to Student Writing, Writing Center, 2014 (1 session)

Service

Institution
  • Writing and Communication Program Liaison for VIP undergraduate research projects, Georgia Tech, 2018-2020.
  • Grant Committee, Georgia Tech, 2018-2020.
  • Writing mentor for undergraduate humanities research fellows, UW-Madison, Summer 2017.
  • Committee leader for establishment of the Comics Studies minor, UW-Madison, 2014-2016.
  • Co-President, Graduate Student Association, UW-Madison, 2013-2014.
  • Co-founder and communications chair, Video Game Theory Colloquium, UW-Madison, 2009-2010.
Community
  • Course partner with Georgia Tech Counseling Center, Fall 2018.
  • Course partner with Center for Sustainable Communities, Spring 2018.
  • Organizer of RESIST! publication distribution in WI, 2017.
  • LGBT Books for Prisoners Volunteer, 2016-2017.
Profession
  • MLA Forum on Comics and Graphic Narratives, Executive Committee Member, Spring 2019-Present.
  • Comics Studies Society, Member at Large, 2018-2020.
  • #Womenonpanels co-organizer with Adrienne Resha (William and Mary)
  • Hillary Chute Award Committee Member, Spring 2018.

Journal Peer Review

Editorial Board
  • Sequentials
  • iNKS: The Journal of Comics Studies Society
Peer Review
  • Modern Language Studies
  • Lateral: Journal of the Cultural Studies Association
  • The Comics Grid: Journal of Comics Scholarship

Memberships

  • Modern Language Association
  • Comics Studies Society

Language and Skills

  • French (reading, writing)
  • Japanese (reading)
  • HTML/CSS

References available upon request