Welcome to my website! I am Dr. Kathleen Kellett, a public scholar, educator,
and storyteller. I founded The Monster & The Child LLC to share my passions for
monster stories and creative educational outlets for young people with the world.
I completed my PhD in Childhood Studies in 2023 at Rutgers University-Camden.
Before that, I earned an MA in Children’s Literature and an MFA in Writing for
Children from Simmons University. My research focuses on the intersections of
young adult literature, metaphors of monstrosity, adolescent knowledge production,
and youth politics.
For my doctoral dissertation, I formed and facilitated Monster Book Club, a six-month
online program for teenagers aged 14 to 18. Not only did the participants produce
incredible theories of monstrosity, but they also found that this out-of-school
intellectual space was a really positive experience to share with their peers.
That project planted the seeds of what is now Youth Monsterology!
In addition to Monster Book Club, I have taught multiple courses at the
college level. As a graduate instructor, I taught courses in childhood studies
and young adult literature, and as a full-time lecturer at Stevens Institute of
Technology, I taught composition and critical reading, along with humanities classes
about (you guessed it) monsters. I have also worked as an English and writing tutor
for middle school and high school students.
I share video essays about monster stories and chapters from my original fiction
on YouTube, and I would love to see you join our discussions over there!
If you are interested in joining Youth Monsterology or a teen or adult book club,
please head to the Projects page. If you would like to check out my CV, you can download the PDF.
I hope you enjoy the monstrous food for thought!