KATHI INMAN BERENS, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Book Publishing and Digital Humanities

Portland State University English Department

SHORT BIO
Kathi Inman Berens works on new forms of books and storytelling. A curator, maker and researcher of electronic literature, Kathi’s fascination with computational interfaces fuels her scholarship and teaching. Kathi’s computationally generated poem Tournedo Gorge is featured in the peer-reviewed Electronic Literature Collection Volume Three.

Her collaborative feminist eco-poem “RestOration: Kalfarlien 18” débuted in Bergen, Norway at “The Ends of Electronic Literature” Media Arts show, and was featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education. “RestOration,” made with Eva Pfitzenmeier (Germany), Kerstin Juhlin (Sweden) and Alicia Cohen (U.S.A.), was selected for exhibition at Rutgers University/Camden’s Stedman Gallery in “A Matter of Bits,” hosted by the Digital Center.

Kathi teaches and advises Master’s candidates in Book Publishing at Portland State’s Ooligan Press, the only working trade press in the U.S.A. staffed entirely by students. For Ooligan she teaches Transmedia Marketing for Book Publishers, Concepts in Digital Publishing, Digital Skills, and Book Publishing for Writers. For the English department Kathi teaches Digital Genres and Introduction to Digital Humanities.

Previously Kathi has lectured at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Communication where she was also a member of the Annenberg Innovation Lab‘s Research Council.  From 2000-2009, Kathi taught in the Dornsife College Writing Program at U.S.C. where she was Associate Professor of Writing (Teaching) until she relocated from Los Angeles in 2009.

2014-15, Kathi was the U.S. Fulbright Scholar of Digital Culture in Norway. She taught and researched at the University in Bergen.

Kathi consults with clients about online learning, transmedia marketing, hybrid classrooms, and emergent story platforms.

FACULTY APPOINTMENTS
Assistant Professor 2015-present
Portland State University English Department

Lecturer 2011-present
Annenberg School of Communication
University of Southern California

Associate Professor (Teaching) 2006-2009
(“Teaching” indicates a 100% teaching appointment)
Dornsife College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Writing Program
University of Southern California

Senior Lecturer 2003-2006
Dornsife College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Writing Program
University of Southern California

Lecturer 2000-2003
Dornsife College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Writing Program
University of Southern California

EDUCATION
Ph.D. in English, 1999
University of California at Berkeley

M.A. in English, 1992
Tufts University

B.A. in English, 1990
Tufts University

HONORS AND AWARDS
U.S. Fulbright Scholar of Digital Culture. University in Bergen, Norway. Digital Culture Research Group. 2014-2105.

USC Annenberg Innovation Lab Research Council. 2011-present. Projects: “Classroom Interfaces” and “Liveness and Emergent Story Platforms“.

IBM Faculty Award. 2012.

Digital Humanities Award nominee. “Best DH Project for a Public Audience: Avenues of Access: an Exhibit and Online Archive of Born-Digital Electronic Literature.” 2012.

USC Center for Excellence in Teaching. 1st non-tenure track faculty member appointed to CET. 2006-2009.
Distinguished Fellow, USC Center for Excellence in Teaching, 2009-present.

Teaching With Technology. USC Provost’s Office. 2005.

Teaching Has No Boundaries Award. USC Office of Student Life. 2005.

USC’s Fund for Innovative Undergraduate Teaching. Start up grant to found first student-made online multidisciplinary journal. 2003.
First-year project summary (2003-04).

USC General Education Teaching Excellence Award for Advanced Writing. 2003.

U.C. Berkeley Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award. 1995.

Mellon Fellowship. Summer 1997. U.C. Berkeley.

Mellon Travel Grant. Summer 1997. U.C. Berkeley.

PUBLISHED WORK
“Interface” chapter in Digital Pedagogy in the Humanities, eds. Rebecca Frost Davis, Matthew Gold, Katherine Harris and Jentery Sayers. New York: MLA Press. 2016. Print and open access.

“Judy Malloy’s seat at the (database) table: a feminist reception history of early hypertext.” Literary and Linguistic Computing: Journal of the Association of Digital Humanities Organizations. (2014) 29 (3): 340-348. doi: 10.1093/llc/fqu037

“Touch and Decay: Steve Tomasula’s TOC on iOS.” The Art and Science of Steve Tomasula’s New Media Fiction, ed. David Banash. New York: Bloomsbury. 2015.

“Live/Archive: Occupy MLA.” February, 2015. Hyperrhiz: Journal of New Media, vol. 11.

“Reading Lori Emerson’s Reading Writing Interfaces” (review). February, 2015. Hyperrhiz: Journal of New Media, vol. 11. Online.

“Double-Flip: 3 Insights Flipping the Humanities Seminar.” Hybrid Pedagogy 23 January 2014. Online.

“Use the # and Tweet Yr Escape.” L.A. Review of Books. 15 August 2013. Co-authored with Davin Heckman. Online.

“A One-Line Poem as Book: 10PRINT.” Chronicle of Higher Education. December 3, 2012. Online.

“Toward a Mobile and Locative Electronic Literature Aesthetic.” Rhizomes: Cultural Studies in Emerging Knowledge. 24 (2012). Online.

“Peer To Here”: Using a QR-Code Scavenger Hunt to Activate Student Learners.” Conference Proceedings from the Experiential Learning Conference at the University of California at San Diego, Jan. 26, 2012. Print.

CREATIVE WORK
RestOration: Kalfarlien 18, a collaborative feminist eco-poem.

“Outsource My Study Abroad,” an image/caption Netprov with Rob Wittig and our students in Bergen, Norway and Duluth, Minnesota. Installed November, 2014 in Tumblr.

“Tournedo Gorge,” an generated digital poem adapting Nick Montfort’s “Taroko Gorge.” Ailementum: the Literature of Food. Winter 2013. Online.

“Tournedo Gorge” exhibited at Ars TechnoLOGIKA at Nouspace Gallery, Vancouver, Washington. December, 2012.

EXHIBITS CURATED
“Disperse the Light.” Electronic Literature Organization 2014 Media Arts Show. Milwaukee, WI. 19-22 June 2014. Reviewed in the Huffington Post.

“Electronic Literature Showcase.” The first exhibit of e-lit at United States Library of Congress. Washington, D.C. Co-curated with Dene Grigar and Susan Garfinkel. 3-5 April 2013. Reviewed in Hyperrhiz: Journal of New Media, v. 10.

“Avenues of Access.” Modern Language Association. Boston. Electronic literature exhibit co-curated with Dene Grigar. 8-12 January 2013. Nominated for a Digital Humanities Award: “Best DH Project for a Public Audience.”

“Electronic Literature.” The first exhibit of e-lit at the Modern Language Association. Co-curated with Dene Grigar. 3-6 January 2013. Curatorial statement published in Rhizomes.

EXTERNALLY FUNDED RESEARCH
Principal Investigator. “Co-Presence in Virtual Classroom Software.” Funded by IBM’s J-Start Emerging Technologies Team. 2013.

Co-Principal Investigator. “USC Inverted Classroom Project.” Funded by USC Provost’s Office and the Center for Scholarly Technology. 2013.

Post-Doctoral Fellow. Mobile Research Technology Initiative. Washington State University Vancouver. Summer 2011.

INVITED TALKS
“A Feminist Theory of E-Literature’s Interfaces: Beginnings of an Inquiry.” U.C. Irvine Data Science and Digital Humanities Symposium. 5 February 2016.

“The ‘Surface’ of Eric Garner’s Death: a Paratextual Reading.” Paratext III: Pictures, Pictoids and other Strange Objects in Digital Culture. University of Bergen. 8 December 2014.

“Algorithms and Relational Aesthetics.” Department of Aesthetics and Communication. Aarhus University (Denmark). 11 December 2014.

“Stories Beneath Your Feet and Fingertips: Locative Storytelling.” Bergen (Norway) Public Library. 4 November 2014.

“Algorithmic Subjects.” Faculty of Management and Social Communication, Institute of Audiovisual Arts. Jagellonian University (Kraków, Poland). 4 October 2014.

“Electronic Ha!Lucinations: Trends in Digital Poetry.” Ha!Wangarda International Literary Festival. (Kraków, Poland). 5 October 2014.

“Networked Taroko Gorge: Toward a Theory of Networked Paratext.” “Is Paratext Becoming the Story? A Workshop by Digital Paratext Collective. University in Bergen. 30 August 2014.

“Street Paratexts: Paratext as Agent of Political Action.” 8 December. Bergen. “Pictures, Pictoids and other Strange Digital Objects in Digital Culture.” Paratext Working Group. 8 December 2014.

“Digital Joblandia: Story –> Innovation.” IGNITE 5: Technology Association of Oregon. Alberta Rose Theater in Portland, Oregon. 13 March 2014.

“The Great American Novel 2.0: System Update.” United States Library of Congress. Electronic Literature Showcase. 5 April 2013.

“Virtual Classroom Interfaces and Digital Poetry.” USC Viterbi School of Engineering Writing Program. Los Angeles. 11 September 2012.

“The Digital Writing Classroom.” Harvard-Westlake School Humanities Faculty. 15 November, 2007. Los Angeles.

PANELS CONVENED
“E-Literature Translations: Database, Platform, Language.” Modern Language Association 2014. Chicago.

“Aura and Computational Literature.” Chercher le Texte: Electronic Literature Organization Conference 2013. Paris.

Classroom Interfaces. Modern Language Association 2013. Boston.

Building Digital Humanities in the Undergraduate Classroom. Modern Language Association 2012. Seattle.

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
“Touch and Decay: Toward a Device-Specific Reception of Electronic Literature.” MLA 2016 on the “Reader Mediations in Electronic Literature” panel. Austin, TX January 6-10, 2016.

“Interface” at the electronic roundtable “Curating Digital Pedagogy in the Humanities.” MLA 2016. Austin, TX January 6-10, 2016.

“Literary/Ludic reading of E-Literature’s Feminist Interfaces” at the International Conference Series of Games and Literary Theory. New Orleans, LA. November 20-22, 2015.

“Steve Tomasula’s TOC and the Aesthetics of Tablet Reading.” Electronic Literature Organization International Conference. Bergen, Norway August 5-7, 2015.

“Want to Save the Humanities? Teach Adjuncts to Use Digital Tools.” “Disrupting Digital Humanities” panel at MLA 2015. Vancouver, B.C. 10 January 2015.

“Literary ‘Fiction’? Occupy MLA.” “Literary Twitter” panel at MLA 2015. Vancouver, B.C. 11 January 2015.

“Occupy MLA’s Hidden Archive.” Electronic Literature Organization Conference. Milwaukee, WI. 19 June 2014.

“Meditation Level Up: Sony Playstation 2 and The Night Journey.” E-Literature Translations: Platform, Database, Language, a panel I convened at MLA 2014. Chicago, IL. 11 January 2014.

“Steve’s Shroud: Aura & iOS.” Roundtable on Computational Literature and Aura. Electronic Literature Organization Conference “Chercher Le Texte.” Paris VIII. 25 Sept. 2013.

“Judy Malloy’s Seat at the (Database) Table: A Feminist Reception History.” Digital Humanities conference. Lincoln, Nebraska. 19 July 2013.

“A Hack of One’s Own: UX of Virtual Classroom Software.” MiT8: Media in Transition. M.I.T. 5 May 2013.

“Mapping Occupy: Digital Pedagogy on a Deadline.” Building Digital Humanities in the Undergraduate Classroom panel. MLA 2012 Seattle. 7 Jan. 2012.

“Hacking F2F.” Teaching With Technology. University of Southern California. 2 May 2011.

“Social Media, Presence and Invisible Learning in the College Writing Classroom.” New Media Consortium Summer Conference. Anaheim, CA. 6-9 June 2010.

“Beyond the A: Pedagogical Applications of Electronic Publication.” Convention for Teachers of College Composition and Communications. Co-presented with Norah Ashe-McNalley. New Orleans. 3 April 2008.

“‘Some sort of praise I have wisely stolen’: Laetitia Pilkington’s Appropriation of Pamela,” Conference on Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century British Women Writers. March, 1997.

“Laetitia Pilkington’s ‘incurable disease’: Reading and Its Effects in her Memoirs,” Western Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies. February 1997.

“Rethinking the Spinster: Miss Bates as Disruptive Trope in Emma,” Conference on Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century British Women Writers. May 1992.

WORKSHOPS and INFORMAL TALKS
“Curating an International Exhibit of Electronic Literature.” Ha!Wangarda International Literary Festival. (Kraków, Poland). 4 October 2014.

THATCamp Hybrid Pedagogy. “Online 2.0” and “F2F 2.0.” Marylhurst University, Portland, OR. 20-21 Oct. 2012.

“Flipping the Humanities Classroom.” Center for Excellence in Teaching. University of Southern California. 9 October 2013.

“Optimizing Student Engagement in the Classroom.” International Leadership Association annual conference. Co-presented with Dr. Cynthia Martinez. 23 October 2012.

“Failure is Frictive: Building Classroom Assignments In Code.” Digital Humanities Summer Institute. University of Victoria, B.C. 8 June 2012.

“Peer To Here”: Using a QR-Code Scavenger Hunt to Activate Student Learners” at the Experiential Learning Conference at the University of California at San Diego. 26 Jan. 2012.

“Assessing Multimedia Elements in College Writing.” USC Center for Excellence in Teaching. 8 March 2007. Los Angeles.

“Charting the Course,” on course design for advanced graduate student. USC Center for Excellence in Teaching. 11 Nov. 2006. Los Angeles.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
Editorial Board, Journal of Creative Writing Studies. Section co-editor: Multimedia and Multimodal.

Peer Reviewer

Literary and Linguistic Computing: Journal of the Association of Digital Humanities Organizations.

Publication of the Modern Language Association.

Electronic Literature Organization Annual Conference

Juror, Electronic Literature Media Arts Show 2012, 2013, 2015. [I curated the Media Arts Show in 2014.]

Member, FemTechNet collaboration.

Advisory Board. I Love E-Poetry publication.

Advisor. Oregon Storyboard.

Curator. Electronic Literature Organization 2014 International Media Arts Exhibit and Evenings of Performance.

Curator. Modern Language Association 2013 Electronic Literature Exhibit “Avenues of Access.”

Curator. Modern Language Association 2012 “Electronic Literature Exhibit.” Focus: Mobile and Geolocative works.

USC Undergraduate Writers’ Conference. Essay competition, academic conference and evening event for undergraduate writers. Grew the event from 80 participants to 350. 2005-2009.

Faculty Mentor. USC Center for Scholarly Technology. 2012.

Fellow. USC Center for Excellence in Teaching 2006-2009.
Distinguished Fellow. USC Center for Excellence in Teaching. 2009-present.

Pen Pal Project. Year-long pen pal letter exchange between one hundred and twenty USC upperclassmen and thirty inner-city sixth graders at Audubon Junior High School. The year culminated in a campus tour for the 6th graders and a meeting where 6th graders learned how to prepare for and apply to college.

USC General Education Committee. 2007-09.

USC Fund for Innovative Undergraduate Teaching grant reviewer. 2006-09.

USC Breaking Bread Committee (promoting student/faculty meal outings). 2005.

USC representative to Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Focus: Dornsife College Writing Program: teaching of ethics; experiential learning. 2008-09.

USC College Writing Program (department) service: peer review and promotion; hiring; external review. Various years.

AFFILIATIONS
Annenberg Innovation Lab
Humanities and Critical Code Studies Lab
Association of Digital Humanities Organizations
Digital Paratext Collective
ELMCIP Research Group
Bergen Electronic Literature Research Group
Digital Culture Research Group

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
Association for Computers and the Humanities
National Council of Teachers of English
Modern Language Association
Electronic Literature Organization
Association of Writers and Writing Programs

EXEMPLARY STUDENT WORK
**See also “Teaching Effectiveness” and “Teaching Philosophy” tabs on this website.**

AngeLingo (renamed SCribe). First in U.S. student-made online, multidisciplinary journal to publish essays produced in comp/rhet writing courses. First issue published 2004, when each page had to be hand-coded. 2004-present.

DigiToolSC, a student-made web app optimized for mobile that gathered all classes offering digital learning spring 2012. 2-min video overview.

Spine Poetry, a student-made, multi-platform, national social media campaign to promote the Electronic Literature Showcase the U.S. Library of Congress. 2013.
2-min video project overview.

Media-Rich e-Literature map: “Authors Exhibited at MLA 2012 Electronic Literature” by students Nicole Buckner and Vern Blystone.

Occupy Global Map authored by eight undergraduates in my “Networked Cultures” class. Lead author Nicole Buckner pinned Occupations when the movement was first starting 27 September 2011. When map views jumped by 30,000 literally overnight, we deduced it was circulated by Anonymous.

Hidden USC, a media-rich virtual tour of USC with embedded video, images and links on a Google Map for students who can’t physically visit the campus. 2012. Students also prepared map-based games and installed them during orientation day for newly admitted Annenberg students. 1-min video map overview by Matt Roniss.

Student-made remix of pedagogical experiments in our class “Face-to-Face in the New Media Classroom.” COMM 499 Vlog Remix by Liz Krane. Fall 2011.

Analytical essay in video format: Coca Cola Transmedia Analysis. 2013.

Student Reflection on Making Coke Transmedia Analysis. 2013.

REFERENCES
Available upon request