Bures! Mu namma lea Kaja! Hei my name is Kaja Gjelde and I am privileged to be your instructor for this term. I received my Master's in Indigenous Studies from the Arctic University of Norway in 2020. Since then I have been working towards mu PhD at the University of New Mexico. I have almost ten years teaching experience and I have been running a virtual Nordic book club with Nordiska for over two years. My areas of research include literary studies, decolonization, feminism and Sámi studies.

I began my teaching career instructing on a volunteer basis for Pacific Lutheran University’s student-run English Language Learning program, where I taught for a sum of three years during my undergraduate studies. Realizing my passion for teaching, I continued to lead classes and student workshops in Norway, and I have been teaching university level courses for the past two years in New Mexico.

Moreover, I manage Nordiska's blog, a Nordic gifts and goods shop, that has become a wonderful community virtually and in person for Nordic culture enthusiasts. I have led the virtual Nordiska book club for nearly three years where each month we read and discuss a piece of Nordic literature from a wide variety of countries and literary genres. I am now thrilled to share my love of Nordic literature with you all!