Ashley Hay

is a PhD student at Penn State University in Communication Arts and Sciences
and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

My research

I am driven by the question how do we become sexual? As a research agenda, this translates to my focus on the rhetorical production of a/sexuality, sex education on social platforms, and a-spec (asexual-spectrum) identity formation.Sometimes, this means I turn my eye toward kinky influencers on TikTok; other times, I focus on midlife women's divorce rhetorics. Across the board, I am interested in the collision of digital platforms, a/sexual becoming, and vernacular rhetorical expression. Check out some of my published research below (more incoming!):TikTok's Excessive Labors in Peitho (2024)

My creative work

I am a poet and an essayist in my free time. Currently, I enjoy experimenting with hybrid forms that braid prose, poetry, and theory. My creative work has been published in The Timberline Review, Prism, and elsewhere.Due to time constraints right now, I'm only publishing my creative work on Substack. You can follow me here!I also create highly-specific writing playlists!

My teaching

  • is driven by intersectional feminist and queer pedagogies that emphasize mutual, generous, and lifelong learning

  • incorporates critical media, critical algorithm, and contemporary rhetorical theoretical approaches to our everyday forests and trees

  • integrates student-driven digital cultures alongside rhetorical theory and praxis

  • prioritizes the learned skill of giving & receiving productive critique

Other pursuits

While working on my Master's thesis, I began to receive requests for copies from friends and family as a form of adult sex ed. That's when I realized that I needed to build better pedagogy into my more theoretical work. Now, I am pursuing a certificate in sex education from the University of Michigan's SHCP to round out my education.After this training, I plan to take on projects with more explicit focus on feminist pedagogy, sex ed praxis, and a-spec educational opportunities.

© Ashley Hay.