​"...we make in our measure and in our derivative mode, because we are made: and not only made, but made in the image and likeness of a Maker."---J.R.R. Tolkien, on Fairy-Stories

​To say I've been a scholar, instructor, and writer for over a decade is to say this: I love stories, grand and small, both the writing and the reading of them.  As a result, writing and literature - and teaching about writing and literature - are at the heart of my identity.  Originally from southern West Virginia, I live and work in Columbus, Ohio and received my Ph.D. from Ohio University in 2010.​(I'm well aware my last name is a doozy.  If you're curious about the pronunciation, it's buh-GAR FRAY-lee.)