Dr Kristina West

Krissie has always loved literature and sharing that passion with her students. She received her BA (Hons) from the University of Reading and spent the next 15 years as a journalist, editor and managing editor of a group of international finance publications. When trying to encourage a love of reading in her son, she returned to university to take an MA Res in children’s literature, and stayed on to undertake a PhD focused on analysing childhood in American literature at the prestigious Centre for International Research in Childhood: Literature, Culture, Media (CIRCL) at the University of Reading. She began teaching at university level, focusing on children’s literature, American literature, and critical theory, and has since taught from year 7 upwards. Krissie has written two academic books, both published in 2020, many book chapters and articles, and regularly presents at literary conferences in the US and beyond. She is currently working on her third book, a biography of Louisa May Alcott and her sisters, and enjoys running in her limited spare time.