Hi.
My name is Ian.
I’m the Irby Cauthen Jefferson Fellow at the Jefferson Scholars Foundation, and a doctoral candidate in English at the University of Virginia.
My research focuses on 20th and 21st century American and Anglophone fiction. I’m particularly interested in contemporary queer and trans novels.
I write about freedom, selfhood, and relationality. My dissertation argues that queer and trans fiction invites us to reconsider what it means to be—and to feel—free.
I’m also interested in contemporary culture more broadly. I think a lot about the aesthetic and social dimensions of queerness. I’m particularly fascinated by the phenomena of celebrity, fame, and notoriety.
Read some of my published work.
“When It Is Not Over: On the Phantasmagoric Endings of Recent Queer Cinema,” Mid Theory Collective, June 2025.
“Queer Realities: Disidentification, Utopic Realism, and Contemporary American Fiction.” RSAJournal vol. 32, “Mapping the Contemporary US Novel: Theories, Forms, and Themes,” pp. 53-68, 2021.
I’ve written extensively about arts and culture for the Oklahoma Gazette.
You can also check out my interviews and podcast appearances.
Recently, I was quoted in this USA Today article.
I’ve been a guest on Queer Coded: A Queer Film Podcast. I talked with host Alley Lindner about The Manic Pixie Dream Girl, The Teen Rom-Com, and The Disney Princess Film.
Contact me!
Reach out with a message, if you’d like.