Karma Waltonen

A Simpsonologist, Karma Waltonen has co-authored "The Simpsons in the Classroom" and "The Simpsons' Beloved Springfield" with Denise Du Vernay. Her son's friends often marvel at her collection of Simpsonalia and the fact that she considers Simpsons indoctrination to be a sign of superior parenting.

She has also co-authored "Twenty Writing Assignments in Context" and "Who's Your Source," a textbook for teaching students to find, evaluate, and ethically use sources, with Melissa Bender.

Karma teaches at the University of California, Davis and Sacramento City College. Among her courses are Shakespeare; Writing in the Health Sciences; Writing in International Relations; Writing in Film Studies; Writing in the Fine Arts; Writing in Social Justice; Atwood: Handmaids, Convicts, and Pigoons, Oh My; The Simpsons: Satire and Postmodernism; a fantasy literature course in Oxford; and courses on Writing and Performing Stand-Up Comedy (the final exam is a live performance).

Recent publications include chapters on Star Trek, Doctor Who, and Sherlock. She is the editor of "Margaret Atwood Studies" and the President of the Margaret Atwood Society. Her most popular stand-up routine is her one-woman show, "Chronic Pain: A Comedy."

Florida State University granted Karma B.A.s in Theatre and English in 1997 and an M.A. in English in 2000. She received a Ph.D. in English, with a designated emphasis in Feminist Theory, from the University of California, Davis in 2006.

In her spare time, she reads, cooks, critiques comedy with her son, and watches way more television and movies than you would ever expect. However, since she then incorporates these activities into her ongoing studies of popular culture, it turns into work after all. That's what happens when you love what you do.