Dr. Leslie Donovan is a Professor and Interim Dean for UNM’s Honors College. Her research interests and publications and presentations include works on medieval literature and culture (Old Norse, Early English, Early Irish), J.R.R. Tolkien, Beowulf, women saints, mythology, teaching and pedagogy, disability studies, and women and gender studies. Her most well-recognized publications advocate strong pedagogical models and methods for teaching or emphasize the roles of often overlooked or under-represented women characters. Among her publications are: Women Saints' Lives in Old English Prose; “The Valkyrie Reflex in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings: Galadriel, Shelob, Éowyn, and Arwen,” “Resolving Conflicts, Deciphering the Enigma: Beowulf's Hunferth as Precursor of the Early Court Fool,” and Approaches to Teaching J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and Other Works. Along with her administrative work as dean, she teaches a wide range of interdisciplinary humanities and communications seminars for UNM’s Honors College. The topics of her courses tend to revolve around outsiders in early cultures, creative expression, the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, future studies, and others. She has been recognized with several teaching awards, including UNM’s Presidential Teaching Fellowship. Professor Donovan is also a member of the governing board for the Mythopoeic Society, an international professional organization, for which she serves as Editor of the Mythopoeic Press.