Patrick Butler earned a PhD in medieval studies from the University of Connecticut in 2018. His specialty is examining depictions of vulnerability and community building in medieval romance. Currently, his research interests focus on highlighting pieces of contemporary media that undermine white supremacist misappropriations of medieval history and culture.
Casey Beck is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, producer and photographer. Her debut short film “Mongolia: Land Without Fences” premiered online on FRONTLINE/World in 2007. After completing a Fulbright scholarship in Argentina, she was the First Unit Director of Ballplayer: Pelotero, a New York Times’ Critics Pick. She was a recent finalist for the KQED Homemade Film Festival and has produced films for “NowThis,” MTV, FoodMattersTV and The Documentary Channel (Pivot).
Belinda Andrews-Smith is the new director of musical theater at Tulane University. She has held previous positions at both Denison University and Ohio University. During her career she has directed over 40 musicals and opera/operetta productions. Her productions of Spring Awakening, Chicago and The Pirates of Penance in particular garnered national awards for excellence from The American Prize Competition. In 2020, Andrews-Smith was also honored by The American Prize, winning first place nationally for outstanding stage direction.
Toby Miller is Stuart Hall Professor of Cultural Studies, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana—Cuajimalpa (Mexico) and Sir Walter Murdoch Distinguished Collaborator, Murdoch University (Australia). He was a professor at the University of California – Riverside for a decade and New York University for 11 years. Miller is author and editor of over 50 books, and his work has been translated into multiple languages. His most recent volumes include A COVID Charter, a Better Future (2021), Violence (2021), The Persistence of Violence (2020), How Green is Your Smartphone?
Sarah Dowman is currently a visiting assistant professor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at Tulane. She completed her PhD in Spanish at the University of Maryland in 2019. Her dissertation was titled "Change Is Sound: Resistance and Activism in Queer Latinx Punk." Her research and teaching interests include Latinx and Latin American literature and cultural studies, transnationalism, subcultures, and gender and sexuality studies.
Joshua Mund is a philosopher who studies ethical issues involving non-human animals.
