Kristin Mlay-Kuhns

PhD Candidate & Teaching Associate, Department of Language, Literature and Writing (LLW), Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Adjunct Professor, Modern Language Department, Seton Hill University

Work Email: kmlaykuhns@setonhill.edu

Student Email: dckfc@iup.edu

Link to CV

~ Professional Bio ~

Kristin Kuhns is an Adjunct Professor at Seton Hill University, a Doctoral Candidate in the Literature and Criticism Program at IUP, as well as a Teaching Associate in the Department of Language, Literature and Writing at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP).

She graduated in 2001 from Smith College with a B.A. in German Language and Cultural Studies and holds a Masters of the Arts in Teaching from the University of Pittsburgh (2007). Kuhns was a secondary, public education teacher until she resigned in 2024 to pursue her PhD full-time.

In May of 2023 she published her manuscript The Origin and Development of Empress Elisabeth’s Legend. Her 2001 Honors Thesis at Smith College was quoted in the Introduction to Hametz and Schlipphacke’s 2018 book, Sissi’s World. Currently, Kuhns is co-editing an academic collection about Taylor Swift and Pedagogy with two full-time professors from Flagler College. Additionally, she is working on a contributing article that has been accepted for publication as part of an edited collection called Sissi and Us: New Mythologies. This edited collection is due for publication in the summer of 2026 through the Editions universitaires de Dijon (EuD) in France.

In April of 2025 Kuhns chaired and organized IUP's first (in-person) international Swift Symposium, which had over 50 participants and attendees from around the world, including presenters from the University of Cambridge in the UK and Toronto, Canada. As part of her Graduate Assistantship, she not only organized IUP's Swift Symposium, but also served as chief organizer/facilitator for IUP's Swift Studies Group under the direction of Dr. Melanie Holm, Faculty Sponsor.

Her scholarly interests include the use of pop culture in pedagogy, 19th century British women's literature, German language and literature, German and American cultural studies, and translation ethics.

IUP's First *International* Taylor Swift-themed Conference:

"Taylor Evermore: A Swift Symposium"

PR for IUP's 2025 Swift Symposium, lead by Chair, Kristin Kuhns:

IUP Now: IUP’s Swift Studies Group Planning “@Taylor Evermore: A Swift Symposium”
"The Superhero Smash Super Swiftie Special" Radio Show hosted by Dr. Gian Pagnucci on WIUP
English graduate students organize Taylor Swift-inspired symposium, WFMZ-TV, April 2, 2025
English graduate students organize Taylor Swift-inspired symposium, Longview News-Journal (Texas), April 2, 2025
English graduate students organize Taylor Swift-inspired symposium, Indiana Gazette, April 2 2025
IUP graduate student group present Swift Symposium The Punxy Spirit, April 2025
IUP students to hold symposium on Taylor Swift, Johnstown Tribune-Democrat, April 22, 2025
'Honey, life is just a classroom': Pop culture and academia combine in Taylor Evermore: A Swift Symposium, Indiana Gazette, April 30, 2025

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~ Publications~

The Empress Elisabeth is the new “It Girl” and Feminist pop culture icon of our times. Her myth permeates modern culture in all media forms - from books to movies to musicals. This cultural study of "Sisi" hopes to catch a glimpse behind the fan of the elusive monarch who still haunts our imaginations and inspires creative genius the world over. What do these portrayals tell us about our society’s ideals of femininity – and more importantly, what does it tell us about ourselves?

Since her assassination in Geneva on September 10, 1898 at the hand of Italian Anarchist, Luigi Lucheni, the Empress Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary, a historical and cultural icon in Europe and Asia, has been shrouded in myth. Hundreds of biographies and articles have been written about her and over a dozen films have been made, including a recent Netflix series, “The Empress” (2022), the internationally-renowned film, “Corsage” (2022), and the 2023 film “Sisi und Ich.”

"The Origin and Development of Empress Elisabeth's Legend: 1859-2000" is Part One of a series exploring the Empress’s legend and how her myth is constantly evolving to mirror society’s ideals of femininity, Feminism, Post-Feminism and the contemporary Zeitgeist.

Click here to buy my book!