Kristine Ainsworth Swank

Kris Swank is a Preceptor at Signum University and Library Director at Pima Community College–Northwest Campus, Tucson, Arizona. She holds a BA, summa cum laude, Humanities and English, Dana College, a Master of Library Science, University of Arizona, and an MBA in International Management, Thunderbird School of Global Management. In 2014, she completed the MA in Literature and Languages program at Signum University with a concentration in Tolkien Studies and is currently pursuing a PhD in Tolkien Studies at Cardiff Metropolitan University with Dr. Dimitra Fimi. Kris’s essays have appeared in the journals Tolkien Studies and Mythlore, and the following edited collections: Fantasy and Science Fiction Medievalisms: From Isaac Asimov to A Game of Thrones (Cambria 2015), Harry Potter for Nerds II (Unlocking Press 2015), Critical Insights: The Hobbit (Salem 2016), Game of Thrones Versus History: Written in Blood (Wiley 2017), A Wilderness of Dragons: Essays in Honor of Verlyn Flieger (Gabbro Head, forthcoming), Monsters of Film, Fiction and Fable (Cambridge Scholars, forthcoming), with more goodies in the works. She also presents at fantasy literature and medieval studies conferences and has written on library topics for Library Journal, American Libraries, and other professional publications. She was selected as the Barton Kyle Yount Award outstanding graduate, Thunderbird (1995), Outstanding Honors Faculty, Pima (2014), and Exemplary Creativity in Teaching Faculty, Pima Honors Program (2017).