Biography:

Lauren Barnes joined the Center for Black Digital Research as a #DigBlk Scholar in 2021, and she is a 2020 Cooper DuBois Fellow. Barnes is a Bunton-Waller Fellow who is pursuing a Dual Title Ph.D. in English and African American and Diaspora Studies at Penn State University.  Her research interests include African American literature, African Diasporic studies, Southern Hemispheric studies, and how language mediates identity in relation to issues of race, gender, and place. She also loves to travel and swim.