Laurel Krapivkin joined the PLNU faculty in 2016, and after some time away to complete her PhD coursework, she returned as an adjunct writing faculty member in 2022. In addition to teaching first year composition, Laurel also specializes in children's and adolescent literature. She recently defended her dissertation titled "Ecofeminism Reconstructed: Discourse & Embodiment in Ecofeminist Young Adult Literature." Laurel is also a certified Full Spectrum Doula with a passion for birth equity and justice in the San Diego community. She has two young daughters, and her spouse Jon works at PLNU overseeing operations at the Center for Justice and Reconciliation.
Education
- Ph.D., Illinois State University, 2023
- M.A., English, San Diego State University, 2016
- B.A., Literature & English Education, Point Loma Nazarene University, 2013
Courses Taught
- Diverse Voices of World Literature - LIT3050
- College Composition - WRI1010
- College Composition: Research - WRI1016
- Business & Professional Writing - WRI300 (now WRI3065)
Experience in Field
- Adjunct Faculty - Point Loma Nazarene University, 2016 - current
- Writing Program Professional & Outreach Coordinator - Illinois State University, 2020-21
- Writing Program 101 Coordinator - Illinois State University, 2019-20
- Graduate Teaching Instructor - Illinois State University, 2018-21
- Teaching Associate - San Diego State University, 2013-16
Professional and Community Involvement
SERVICE
- Panel Chair - "Problematic Minority Representations" at Children's Literature Association Conference, Indianapolis, June 2019
- Workshop Facilitator - "Teaching Techniques for Culturally Responsive and Ethical Representations in Writing," Writing Program Summit, Illinois State University, 2019
- Graduate Forum Committee - English Department, Illinois State University, 2018-19
- Assistant Editor - Grassroots Writing Research Journal, Writing Program Illinois State University, 2018-19
- "Image & Text" Visual Display Curation - Milner Library, Illinois State University, Fall 2018
MEMBERSHIP & PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
- International Research Society for Children's Literature
- Children's Literature Association
- National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity
- Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association
- Sigma Tan Delta English Honors Society
Awards and Honors
- 2021 - Taimi Maria Ranta Children's & Young Adult Literature Scholarship
- Laura Bassi Scholarship: Second Project Set Award Recipient
Dissertations, Presentations, and Publications
PUBLICATIONS
- "Writing in Times of Crisis: Healing Through Social Engagement in the Writing Process" - Illinois State University Program Blog, Sept. 2021
- Review of Children's Literature and Imaginative Geography ed. by Aïda Hudson. Children's Literature Association Quarterly, vol. 45 no. 1, 2020, pp. 87-90. Project MUSE, doi: 10.1353/chq.2020.0008.
- "Remember Your Values: Organic Assessment Opportunities" - Illinois State University Program Blog, Feb. 2021
- "When Writing Becomes High Stakes: A Grassroots Literate Activity Interview" - Grassroots Writing and Research Journal, vol. 11, no. 1, 2020, pp. 139-47.
- "A Conversation with A Grassroots Author" - ISU Writing Program Podcast, interviewer Emily Capan, Oct. 2020
- "Grace in God's Backyard: An Ecofeminist Analysis of Barbara Kingsolver's Animal Dreams" - Arete: The PLNU Honors Journal VI, 2013, pp. 161-76
CONFERENCE TALKS & COLLOQUIA
- "'What We Do Here is Real': An Interdisciplinary Analysis of Power Dynamics in Representations of College Writing in Young Adult Literature" - International Research Society for Children's Literature Conference, Santiago, Chile (virtual), Oct. 2021
- "Girl Bodies in Protest: Representations of the Female Adolescent as Sites for Disrupting Normalcy" - Co-presenting with Courtney Cox, Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association Conference, San Diego, Nov. 2019
- "A Space for Everybody?: The Politics of Picture Book Representations of Public Library Spaces" - Children's Literature Association Conference, Indianapolis, June 2019
- "The Pioneer Who Stays: The Hybrid Nature of Karen Hesse's Out of the Dust" - Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association Conference, Pasadena, Nov. 2016
- "Cultivating 'Humbeans' and Wisteria Vines: An Ecofeminist Approach to Barbara Kingsolver's The Bean Trees - The Conference on Christianity and Literature, Azusa, May 2013
- "Grace in God's Backyard: An Ecofeminist Analysis of Barbara Kingsolver's Animal Dreams" - Point Loma Nazarene University Honors Scholars Conference, San Diego, April 2013