About Me

Hello! My name is Joshua Imken, and I am a first-year PhD student at the University of Kansas, where I teach English 101 and 102. I've previously worked as a Math Tutor at Temple College, as a Private Tutor, and as a Writing Center Consultant at LeTourneau University.

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My research mainly focuses how different works of popular culture center utopian desire in ways that estrange the reader from their perceptions of reality. I particularly focus on how the historical context, genre, and medium of different works both allow for and constrain certain articulations of utopian desire. I have previously written about this topic in connection to Indigenous Futurism, Eco-fiction, and, most extensively, Superman. I have also written about environmentalist films, witchcraft, and insects.

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In those brief, fleeting instance when I am not reading dusty tomes or grading student papers, I enjoy watching baseball, listening to old radio dramas or podcasts, acting, creative writing, and hiking.

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The best way to get to know me though is talking about movies, so I’ve included four of my favorites below. Follow me on Letterboxd if you want to see what I’m watching! https://letterboxd.com/bleaklypositive/