Caryn Lesuma

EDUCATION

Ph.D. English Literature, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, May 2018
Dissertation Title: “Contemporary Young Adult Literature in Hawai‘i and the Pacific: Genre, Diaspora, and Oceanic Futures.” Chair: Dr. ku‘ualoha ho‘omanawanui

M.A. English Literature, Brigham Young University, April 2013
Thesis Title: “Windows and Mirrors: Selecting Multiethnic Young Adult Fiction to Increase Adolescent Engagement with Academic and Cultural Literacy.” Chair: Dr. Chris Crowe

B.A. English, Stanford University, June 2006
Minor: Human Biology

ACADEMIC EMPLOYMENT

Director, Edward D. Smith Center for Learning and Teaching, Spring 2024-present
Associate Director, Edward D. Smith Center for Learning and Teaching, 2022-2024
Assistant Professor, Brigham Young University–Hawaii English Program, 2018-present
Adjunct Faculty, Brigham Young University–Hawaii English Program, 2016-2018
Graduate Assistant, UH-Mānoa Department of English, 2014-2018
Visiting Faculty, Brigham Young University–Hawaii Department of English, 2013-2014
Program Assistant, University Writing Program, Brigham Young University, 2012-2013
Advanced Writing Intern, Brigham Young University, Fall 2012

RESEARCH AND TEACHING AREAS

Young Adult and Children’s Literatures, Pacific and Indigenous Literatures, Folklore (emphasis on adaptations and adaptation theory), Place-based Composition, Technical/Professional Writing, New Media Composition

PUBLICATIONS

“Emma Broederlow Lobendahn and the Beginnings of the Church in Fiji: An Intergenerational Legacy,” Voices of Latter-day Saint Women in the Pacific and Asia, eds. ‘Alisi Langi, Po Nien Chou, and Petra Chou, BYU Religious Studies Center (In press)

“Celebrating ‘Afakasi Identity for Pasifika Youth in Lani Wendt Young’s Telesā Universe,” Oxford Handbook of Young Adult Literature, eds. Victor Malo-Juvera and Crag Hill, Oxford University Press (in press)

“Dreaming Indigenous Realities in Young Adult Literatures of Oceania,” The Fantastic in the Pacific. Eds. Cristina Bacchilega, ku‘ualoha ho‘omanawanui, and Joyce Pualani Warren, University of Hawai‘i Press (April 2024)

“Lehua Parker, One Truth, No Lie: Indigenous Youth Activism Through Mo‘olelo and YA Literature.” Uneven Futures: Strategies for Community Survival from Speculative Fiction. Eds. Ida Yoshinaga, Sean Guynes, and Gerry Canavan, The MIT Press (December 2022).

“Reimagining youth relations with Moananuiākea (The large, expansive ocean): contemporary Niuhi Mo‘olelo (man-eating shark stories) and environmental activism.” Fantasy and Myth in the Anthropocene: Imagining Futures and Dreaming Hope in Literature and Media. Eds. Brian Atteberry, Tereza Dědinová and Marek Oziewicz, Bloomsbury (April 2022).

“The Island in Me: A Companion Essay.” Hawaii International Film Festival: Film For Thought, November 2021.

“Lehua Parker, aka Aunty Lehua.” A Humanities Guide to Children’s Literature: The 19th Biennial Conference on Literature and Hawai‘i’s Children. Eds. Kelly Murashige and Todd Sammons, Children’s Literature Hawai‘i (June 2020).

"Sā Nafanuā: Reconstituting Nafanua as Female Empowerment in Samoan Diasporic Literature." Journal of American Folklore, vol. 132, no. 525 (Summer 2019)

"Making the Virtual Real: New Media Composition Pedagogy for Place-Based Change." BEYOND THE FRONTIER: Innovations in First-Year Composition, vol. 2. Eds. Jill Dahlman amd Tammy Winner, Cambridge Scholars (November 2018).

“Young Adult Literatures of Oceania: Trends and Titles.” A Humanities Guide to Children’s Literature: The 19th Biennial Conference on Literature and Hawai‘i’s Children. Eds. Caryn Lesuma and Todd Sammons, Children’s Literature Hawai‘i (June 2018).

Co-Editor with Todd Sammons, A Humanities Guide to Children’s Literature: The 19th Biennial Conference on Literature and Hawai‘i’s Children, Children’s Literature Hawai‘i (June 2018).

"Domesticating Dorothy: Toto’s Role in Constructing Childhood in The Wizard of Oz and Its Retellings." Childhood and Pethood in Literature and Culture: New Perspectives in Childhood Studies and Animal Studies. Eds. Anna Feuerstein and Carmen Nolte-Odhiambo. Routledge (April 2017).

"Living Mo‘olelo for Young Adults: Story, Language, and Form in 'Of No Real Account.'" Proceedings 2015: Selected papers from the nineteenth college-wide conference for students in languages, linguistics and literature. University of Hawai‘i, National Foreign Language Resource Center (January 2016).

"Reading Pedagogy: Improving Writing by Improving Reading In First-Year Composition." Locutorium: A Place For Conversations About Writing, Volume 6. Brigham Young University Writing (August 2012).

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

“An Ocean of Wonder: The Fantastic in the Pacific,” Roundtable Discussion, Oceanic Pop Culture Association Conference, May 25, 2024, Chaminade University, HI

“Pearls of Success: How Multilingual Students Discovered Their Voices Through Poetry” and “Let’s Talk About Malia Maunakea’s Lei and the Fire Goddess,” 22nd Biennial Conference on Literature and Hawai‘i’s Children, June 8-9, 2024, Chaminade University

“Emma Broederlow Lobendahn and the Beginnings of the Church in Fiji: An Intergenerational Legacy,” Church History in the Pacific and Asia Conference, Brigham Young University–Hawaii, March 4, 2023. Laie, HI.

“Supporting Pacific Island Students in Advanced Composition,” Conference on College Composition and Communication, February 15-18, 2023. Chicago, IL.

“The Future(s) of Literature(s) for Young Audiences,” 20th Biennial Conference on Literature and Hawai‘i’s Children, June 4, 2022, Honolulu, HI.

“Building Community and Fostering Unity Among Domestic and International Students,” UH First Year Writing Symposium, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, March 5, 2022. Honolulu, HI.

“Reimagining Youth Relations with Moananuiākea: Contemporary Niuhi Mo‘olelo and Environmental Activism.” Science Fiction Research Association Conference, Chaminade University, June 21-24, 2019. Honolulu, HI.

“Fantastic Young Adult Literatures of Oceania and the Politics of Production.” International Conference for the Fantastic in Arts, March 14-17, 2019. Orlando, FL.

“Current Trends in Young Adult Literatures of Oceania.” 19th Biennial Conference on Literature and Hawai‘i’s Children, Chaminade University, June 8, 2018. Honolulu, HI.

"Adapting Oceanic Stories for Oceanic Youth: Bringing Hi|story into the Present to Negotiate Indigenous Futures." International Conference for the Fantastic in Arts, March 14-18, 2018. Orlando, FL.

"Young Adult Literature in Hawai‘i and the Pacific." Hawaii Council for the Humanities teacher workshop, Local and Global History Through Literature, Chaminade University. November 18, 2017. Honolulu, HI

"Reading Pacific Literature as YAL: Re-Constructing Adolescence in Matthew Kaopio’s Novels." Pacific and Ancient Modern Language Association Annual Conference, Chaminade University. November 10-12, 2017. Honolulu, HI.

"Sā Nafanuā: Reconstituting Nafanua as Female Empowerment in Samoan Literature." Thinking with Stories in Times of Conflict: A Conference in Fairy-Tale Studies, Wayne State University, August 2-5, 2017. Detroit, MI.

"Academic Writing and Activism for the Web: Assignments for Change." First-Year Writing Symposium, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. April 8, 2017. Honolulu, HI.

"Screening the Signs of the Times in Ko‘olau Loa: A Visual Analysis of Community Conflict Over Development in Mālaekahana, O‘ahu." Conference on College Composition and Communication. March 15-19, 2017. Portland, OR.

"Countering American Pacificism with Moʻolelo and the Humorous/Heroic Hawaiian Subject." Co presentation with Kelsey Amos, Children's Literature Hawai'i Conference, Chaminade University. June 9-11, 2016. Honolulu, HI.

"Fale Aitu in the Diaspora: Samoan Cultural Satire in a Digital Age." Native American and Indigenous Studies Association Annual Conference, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. May 18-21, 2016. Honolulu, HI.

"Living Mo‘olelo for Young Adults: Story, Language, and Form in 'Of No Real Account.'" 19th Annual Graduate Student Conference of the College of Language, Linguistics & Literature, April 2015. Honolulu, HI.

"When Water Burns: Traditional Mythology as a Platform for Contemporary Samoan Culture." Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association National Conference. March 27-30, 2013. Washington, D.C.

"Transcultural Dialogism: Decolonizing Fairy Tales in Josephine Evetts-Secker’s Tale Collections for Children." Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States Annual Conference. April 19-22, 2012. San Jose, CA.

"Happily Ever Now: Merging Fiction, Illustration, and Criticism in Frances Minters’s Fairy Tale Retellings for Children." BYU English Symposium, Brigham Young University. March 23, 2012. Provo, UT.

INVITED TALKS AND PRESENTATIONS

Panelist, An Ocean of Wonder: The Fantastic in the Pacific book launch, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, April 25, 2024

Devotional Speaker, “Cultivating Generations Through Small and Simple Things,” Brigham Young University–Hawaii, May 28, 2024. Lā‘ie, HI

Invited Speaker, Ke Alaka‘i remote newswriting training workshop, “The Truth About Stories,” Brigham Young University-Hawaii, February 3, 2024. Lā‘ie, HI

Panelist, “Climate Panel: Fantasy and Myth in the Anthropocene,” Center for Climate Literacy, Zoom, April 22, 2022.

Invited Speaker, CLT Faculty Research Bootcamp. “Writing Process,” Brigham Young University-Hawaii, May 25, 2022. Lā‘ie, HI

Invited Speaker, “Let’s Talk About Aunty Lehua Parker,” UH Mānoa English Majors Association Children’s Literature Workshop. Zoom, March 28, 2022.

Panelist, Life After Shakespeare: Career Choices for English Majors. “Journalism and Graduate School,” Brigham Young University-Hawaii, February 24, 2022. Lā‘ie, HI

Humanities Scholar and Moderator, “Film for Thought: In Conversation with Gemma Cubero del Barrio, The Island In Me.” Hawai‘i International Film Festival Film For Thought, November 10, 2021. Honolulu, HI.

Moderator, “Let’s Talk About Aunty Lehua.” 20th Biennial Conference on Literature and Hawai‘i’s Children, June 6, 2021. Honolulu, HI.

Invited Speaker, Ke Alaka‘i remote newswriting training workshop, “Writing Feature Stories,” Brigham Young University-Hawaii, March 11, 2021. Lā‘ie, HI

Presenter, Center for Learning and Teaching remote teaching workshop, “Effective Group Work Online,” Brigham Young University-Hawaii, October 6, 2020. Lā‘ie, HI

Presenter, Center for Learning and Teaching workshop, “Effective & Ethical Group Work: Setting students up for successful collaborative projects that minimize conflict and maximize teamwork,” Brigham Young University-Hawaii, February 21, 2020. Lā‘ie, HI

Invited Speaker, Ke Alaka‘i newswriting training workshop, “Writing Feature Stories,” Brigham Young University-Hawaii, February 1, 2020. Lā‘ie, HI

Invited Speaker, My Leadership Story lecture series, “Cultivating Small and Simple Habits,” Brigham Young University-Hawaii Management Society, November 19, 2019. Lā‘ie, HI

Principal Humanities Scholar Address, 19th Biennial Conference on Literature and Hawai‘i’s Children, Chaminade University, June 9, 2018. Honolulu, HI.

Invited Speaker, BYU-Hawai‘i Honors Colloquium. “Finding a Written Fagogo: Stories and Storytelling in Young Adult Literature of Oceania (YALO).” Brigham Young University-Hawaii, March 30, 2018. Lā‘ie, HI

Panelist, Life After Shakespeare: Career Choices for English Majors. “Journalism and Graduate School,” Brigham Young University-Hawaii, February 20, 2018. Lā‘ie, HI

Presenter, Introduction to Literature training workshop, “Building a Unit,” University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, January 24, 2017. Honolulu, HI

Presenter, "Young Adult Literature in Hawai‘i and the Pacific." Hawaii Council for the Humanities teacher workshop, Local and Global History Through Literature, Chaminade University. November 18, 2017. Honolulu, HI

Panelist, New Graduate Assistant Orientation workshop, “Negotiating Authority in the First-Year Writing Classroom,” University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, August 9, 2017.

Panelist, PhD area exam preparation workshop, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, March 2, 2017.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Courses Taught - Brigham Young University–Hawaii
ENG 101: College Writing, Reading, and Research
ENG 201: Literary Analysis and Research (discontinued)
ENG 315: Topics for Advanced Writing and Analysis. “Folklore Adaptations in Literature”
ENG 316: Technical Communication
ENG 341: World Literatures
ENG 364: Contemporary American Literature
ENG 398: English Practicum
ENG 420: Literature for Young Adults
Colloquium, BYU-H Center for Learning and Teaching

Courses Taught - University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
ENG 100: Composition I. “Writing for New Media”
ENG 271: Genre. “Young Adult Literature”
ENG 271: Genre. “Coming of Age Literature”
ENG 272: Literature and Culture. “Fairy Tales”
ENG 383: Children’s Literature. “Young Adult Literature in the Pacific”

Courses Taught - Brigham Young University
Writing 150: Writing and Rhetoric
ENG 316: Technical Communication
ENG 391 (TA): Introduction to Folklore

AWARDS

Exemplary Teaching Award, BYU-Hawaii (AY 2021-2022)
Faculty Recognition, BYU–Hawaii (AY 2019-2020)
Ed M. and Minnie Berry Rowe Teaching Award, BYU Writing Program (April 2013)
Harold B. Lee Library Student Research Grant, BYU (AY 2012-2013)
Introduction to Folklore Mentorship Recipient, BYU English Department (Fall 2012)

SERVICE

Director, BYU–Hawaii Center for Learning and Teaching (Spring 2024-present)

Associate Director, BYU–Hawaii Center for Learning and Teaching (Fall 2022-Winter 2024)

Co-Chair, BYU-Hawaii Undergraduate Research Conference (Fall 2022-Winter 2024)

Search Committee Member, Faculty of Education and Social Work (Education), BYU-Hawaii (Winter 2023)

Search Committee Member, Faculty of Business & Government (Business Management – Supply Chain and Operations), BYU-Hawaii (Winter 2022)

English Program Publicity, BYU–Hawaii (Fall 2021-Spring 2022)

Search Committee Member, Faculty of Business & Government (Business Management – Organizational Leadership and Human Resources), BYU–Hawaii (Fall 2020–Winter 2021)

English Composition Program Coordinator, BYU–Hawaii (Fall 2019-Spring 2022)

Board Member, Steering Committee Member, and Webmaster, Children’s Literature Hawai‘i Conference (Spring 2017-present)

Search Committee Member, Faculty of Business & Government (Business Management – Human Resources), BYU–Hawaii (Winter 2021)

Faculty Advisor, Australia Club, BYU–Hawaii (Fall 2018)

Rank Member, English Department Policy Committee, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (2017-2018)

Conference Director, Children’s Literature Hawai‘i Conference (Spring 2017-Summer 2018)

Member, First-Year Writing Symposium Planning Committee, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (Spring 2017)

Faculty Advisor, English Circle Society, BYU–Hawaii (2013-2014)

Student Advising

Senior Research Project Advisor, Jason McDonald, “Queer Cultural Belonging in “Kapaemahu” and “Aikane” (Winter 2024)

Senior Research Project Advisor, Catalina Andrade Hernandez, “Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Awareness of Taboos within Latin Cultures and YA Literature” (Winter 2024)

Senior Research Project Advisor, Chenoa Francis, “Mirrors, Windows, Sliding Glass Doors, and Black Children’s Literature” (Fall 2023)

Senior Research Project Advisor, Alexandra Reed, “Borderlands: Finding One’s Cultural Identity” (Winter 2022)

Senior Research Project Advisor, Shaylen Cornwall, “Transformative Potential: Narrative of a Settler Colonizer” (Fall 2021)

Senior Research Project Advisor, Adrielle Cahigas Mora, “Fanfiction as a Tool in the Classroom for Second-Language Learners.” (Winter 2021)

Senior Research Project Advisor, Marie Joy Arao, “Heroine vs. Not a Heroine.” (Winter 2021)

Senior Research Project Advisor, Sarah Mitchell, “Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Story of A Part-Time Indian: Examining the Stereotypes of Addiction Among the Native American Community and Encouraging Human Connection as a Means for Recovery.” (Fall 2020)

Senior Research Project Advisor, Gentry Burton, “‘Whether it's Wife or Nation’: Colonization and Patriarchy in The Poisonwood Bible.” (Winter 2020)

Senior Research Project Advisor, Talafaiva Poteki, “The Aesthetics of the Punake (Tongan poet): Contemporary over Traditional” (Fall 2019)

Senior Research Project Advisor, Joseph Loi-On, “Hawaii’s Historical Struggle with Education and Encouraging Students’ Academic Success: Stimulating Reading Proficiency Amongst Local Students Using Lehua Parker’s One Boy, No Water” (Spring 2019)

Senior Research Project Advisor, Greg Wright, “A Song of Ice and Fire: A New Standard or Old News?” Winter 2019)

Senior Research Project Advisor, Rachel Westerlund, “Defining Blackness in Kindred: Building a Future in Resolving Negative Effects of the Past” (Fall 2018)

Senior Research Project Advisor. Jerrica Levi. “A Religious State of Mind in Life of Pi.” (Winter 2014)

RELEVANT SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS

Teaching Colloquium Certificate, BYU–Hawaii Center for Learning and Teaching (Fall 2019)
Online teaching certification, UH Mānoa Center for Language and Technology (Fall 2017).

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

National Council of Teachers of English, Assembly on Literature for Adolescents, Native American and Indigenous Studies Association, International Association for the Fantastic in Arts

CV Last Revised 6/6/2024