Hi, I'm Ryan. I'm a naturalist and rhetorician—meaning I study what happens when we sense the traces or signals of others (a pamphlet written by a human, a warning call given by a blackbird, and so on) and feel moved to respond in some way. As a teacher, my aim is to make the process of writing more accessible to writers—and the forms writing takes more accessible to readers.

My current scholarly work is about conservation seen through our vanishing natural soundscapes. I'm also working on a project about queer and neurodivergent experiences in the outdoors.

A lifelong Great Lakesian, I earned my B.A. and M.A. from Northern Illinois University (English and Journalism; Rhetoric); and my Ph.D from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (Rhetoric and Scientific and Technical Communication with specialization in the Environmental Humanities).

I'm happy to chat about anything ecology or media studies related!