Lydia Benda

I am a PhD candidate in Rhetoric & Composition and a GTA in the Department of English. I also recently completed a Graduate Certificate in Medieval and Early Modern Studies, which I largely pursued because it allowed me to spend countless hours fondling extraordinarily old books. I earned my bachelor’s degree in journalism from The University of Kansas, so my love of research (and my desire to tell untold stories) runs deep. My dissertation focuses on historical rhetorics of health and medicine, particularly rhetorics of women/feminine bodies in early modern health manuals. I intend for my work to contribute to the field of medical rhetoric by exploring what centuries-old texts can reveal to us about what has and has not changed in health discourse – especially as it concerns women and feminine bodies otherwise on the margins.

I also love teaching English to undergraduate students at KU and seeing their eyes light up when they realize that they can write and that their ideas are good ideas. I gain no small amount of pleasure from encouraging students to write about matters of importance to them – because when students are empowered in the classroom, they do better and enjoy the writing process more.

Before returning to KU for my graduate career, I published articles for Kansas Alumni magazine, Mother Earth News magazine, and on various platforms for Lutheran Hour Ministries. I have also proofread and edited several published books. I am enthusiastic about health and fitness, and (when I’m not digging through old books), I enjoy teaching Pilates classes and chasing after my two rambunctious young boys outside.