News & Thoughts

This week I’m at the University of St Thomas in Minneapolis-St Paul, where I’m a joint guest of the English and Music departments, thanks to the work of Dr. Olga Herrera and Dr . Shersten Johnson.

Yesterday I had a great time talking about grant proposals for research in the humanities with undergraduate students in the “Research is Me-search” session organized by Dr. Marty Warren and seeing undergraduate research posters, where I was especially impressed by Cassie Froese’s work on the function of magic on women’s agency in YA fantasy novels. I also had a wonderful time at the Luann Dummer Center for Women talking with Dr. Young-ok An’s graduate students about inter- and multi-disciplinary approaches to working with literature and my own experiences in multidisciplinary research, as well as how that benefits my creative work.

Today I’ll be doing two class visits. I’ll start off in Brit lit and discuss how film has developed an expected soundscape for films set in the medieval period, particularly in Britain. Tonight I’ll visit a music class and talk about the history of film music and various topics in scoring film.

Want me to come to your school for a visit? Let me know! I am always happy to do in-person and Skype talks!

I am honored and delighted to take on the role of Director of Scholarship and Research for the Composer Diversity Project! Check out the Composer Diversity Database, the first component of the Project. Future proposed projects include additional databases and online resources for writing about composers of diversity, programming music by diverse composers, and using the work of a diverse body of composers to teach.

Some of my work will be building print/online resources and best practices guidelines for performers, scholars, journalists, and others. Please feel free to contact me with requests or suggestions.

Here is the complete administrative team:

Director & Founder: Dr. Rob Deemer
Director of Engagement: Jamie Leigh Sampson
Director of Development: Dr. Penny Brandt
Director of Scholarship and Research: Dr. Kendra Leonard
Director of Database Growth: Dr. Andrew Martin Smith
Master Database Builder: Christian Michael Folk
Research Fellow: Shawna Wolf
Research Fellow: Sierra Wojtczack
Research Fellow: Sean Penzo

Disparate Bodies: Research Tracks and Creative Endeavors
Kendra Preston Leonard, PhD
October 2, 2018      6:15-7:30 pm
Luann Dummer Center for Women
University of St. Thomas

My brain is like a cat, constantly trying to catch multiple red dots. My brain is like a corvid, attracted to the shiny and new. My brain wants to DO ALL THE THINGS! Is your brain like mine? Or totally different? Either way, come to a discussion about how this has made my career one full of work in different disciplines and using different approaches, one that encompasses multiple kinds of theory and praxis, and one that involves both rigorous scholarly work and creative writing, and how your own work can be wider-ranging and more inclusive of all of the things you’re interested in than you might have thought. We’ll talk about the usefulness of inter- and multi-disciplinary study, disciplinary cross-theorization, balancing the creative with the scholarly, and whatever issues, questions, or ideas you bring with you.