I came to IU English on a hunch: I was interested in books, always had been. As I worked through my first encounters with creative writing and scholarship, from fiction to nonfiction, from the early modern and medieval to the postmodern and post-45, from lyric poetry to literary essays, Victorian to Toni Morrison, I was greeted and guided by mentors who remain at my side today. The IU English faculty helped me on my way down a path I never knew would be mine to walk with them, turning hunch and hunger into avocation. All of these people, friends and professors alike, through their unwavering support and tireless attention, have helped me get to where I am today: happily continuing to explore out into the field of English literature, gathering companions and counsel from as many people across as many disciplines as possible. But none of this is, was, or will be possible without the rich and rewarding relationships forged in and through the community of life long students and scholars, especially those whom I found at IU English who always took my hunches seriously and never failed to feed the hungry mind.