Paige Reynolds
An essay written by Paige Reynolds, professor of English, appeared in “Modern Love,” a regular column of the New York Times. The column ran July 12.
“A Glimpse Into My Son’s Magnificent Mind” is the title of the essay and can also be found online.
Reynolds said the essay is a “kind of love story about mothering my son, who has autism.”
She wrote the piece to explore and express her own experiences as a mother and bring visibility and a voice to others who might find themselves in similar situations. As a fan of the column, she believed her story would be a good fit.
“I’ve been struck by responses I’ve received from readers with whom the essay resonated—the vulnerability, kindness and compassion of these responses have profoundly moved me,” Reynolds said. “I believe our stories are valuable even if we choose to keep them to ourselves; but shared stories truly can connect us to one another in such meaningful ways.”
Reynolds has been at UCA since 2007. Her primary teaching and research focus is Shakespeare studies, though she also teaches literature, especially drama, across other periods as well. Reynolds also serves as the Department of English’s internship coordinator.
She is the author of “Performing Shakespeare’s Women: Playing Dead.” Her work in progress on this project received an Arkansas Arts Council Individual Artist Award in 2017. She is a contributor to the book “Shaping Shakespeare for Performance: The Bear Stage” and co-editor of the book, “Papa, Ph.D.: Essays on Fatherhood by Men in the Academy.” Reynolds has also published articles in several scholarly journals
Reynolds earned bachelor’s degrees in English and theatre at Abilene Christian University. She earned a master’s and doctorate in English at the University of North Texas.
