My primary area of research is in the area of synagogue poetry ("piyyut") from Late Antiquity and the Byzantine period. I examine these works from a variety of perspectives, including literary, performative, and comparative (particularly with early Christian hymnography in Syriac and Greek), and also as a genre of early Jewish biblical interpretation. In recent years, I have begun to integrate the study of material culture into my analysis of these literary works, as part of taking a more fully "contextual" approach to literary analysis. My most recent work approaches late ancient hymnography through the lens of theater studies and performance.
| Office Location: | 118B Gray Bldg, Durham, NC 27708 |
| Office Phone: | +1 919 660 3504 |
| Email Address: | |
Teaching (Spring 2024):
| Ph.D. | The University of Chicago | 2003 |
| M.A. | Hebrew Union College | 1998 |
| B.A. | University of Arkansas, Fayetteville | 1994 |
Current projects: Songs from the Western Shore (volume on Aramaic poetry), The Liturgical Stage (ancient hymnography through lens of theater)
My primary area of research is in the area of synagogue poetry ("piyyut") from Late Antiquity and the Byzantine period. I examine these works from a variety of perspectives, including literary, performative, and comparative (particularly with early Christian hymnography in Syriac and Greek), and also as a genre of early Jewish biblical interpretation. In recent years, I have begun to integrate the study of material culture into my analysis of these literary works, as part of taking a more fully "contextual" approach to literary analysis. My most recent work approaches late ancient hymnography through the lens of theater studies and performance.