I’m a recovering academic who discovered the history and enchanting literature of medieval Ireland while in grad school at Harvard and University College, Dublin. Supported by grants from the NEH, ACLS, and the Guggenheim Foundation, I’ve written many academic books and journal articles about medieval history and religions, most recently some retold medieval tales, Otherworld: Tales of Wonder and Romance from Medieval Ireland (Oxford, 2025.) My popular articles about saints for The Conversation have reached over a million readers. I’ve been interviewed on social media about St Patrick, St Brigit, and Samhain more times than I can count.

I’ve lived in Michigan, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Kansas, England, Ireland, and New Zealand, but now I’m home in LA where I live with my brilliant husband and two obnoxious dogs. Sometimes my amazing children and their even more amazing children visit.