Oxford — Portal to Fantasy
Karma Waltonen
University Writing Program
Karma Waltonen has taught at UC Davis for nineteen years. In 2015, she won the Academic Federation Excellence in Teaching Award. She teaches a variety of writing and literature classes, including courses on young adult literature, science fiction, Shakespeare, Writing in Film, and Writing in the Fine Arts. As she is a stand-up comic, she teaches courses on writing and performing stand-up comedy and mentors the university's stand-up comedy club. Read more about her: http://writing.ucdavis.edu/people/kjwalton
A Message to Students and Parents
I’ve discovered the secret to a great professional life is to work on the texts and ideas I most love, which is why I’m an expert on film, science-fiction/fantasy literature, and The Simpsons (my second book on The Simpsons is coming out this year). My most recent publications are on time travel in Star Trek, postmodernism in The X-Files, sexuality in Sherlock, religion in Doctor Who, and apocalypses in Margaret Atwood’s works (I'm the President of the Margaret Atwood Society and the editor of our peer-reviewed journal. Want to talk about The Handmaid's Tale adaptation? Good--so do I!). I’m also an expert on comedy—my most challenging writing class is Writing and Performing Stand-Up Comedy—the final is a live performance, and I perform with the students each time. Come join me for an invigorating exploration of the birthplace of modern fantasy literature!