Hester Blum is an Associate Professor of English at Penn State University, where she specializes in 19th-century American Literature and Oceanic Studies—the study of literary and cultural circulations defined by sea routes and flows rather than by political or terrestrial boundaries.

As a 38th Voyager, Blum is interested in the moments when nautical communities become literary communities, whether through shared reading, storytelling, narrative writing, performance, or contestation. Read more »