Chris Vaccaro

Chris Vaccaro is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of English at the University of Vermont's College of Arts and Sciences. He has taught at UVM since 1999 and holds a Ph.D. from the City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate School (2003). His expertise spans Medieval literature, Tolkien studies, and gender/sexuality identity studies, with a focus on Old English texts and queer theory.

• Education: Ph.D., City University of New York (2003)

Research interests include intersections of gender, sexuality, and medieval literature, particularly in works like Beowulf and Tolkien's legendarium. He organizes the annual Tolkien at UVM conference and has invited prominent scholars such as Mark Doty and Jack Halberstam. He serves on the New England Medieval Consortium board and co-organizes sessions at medieval and Tolkien studies conferences.

Publications include edited volumes on Tolkien (The Body in Tolkien’s Legendarium, 2013; Tolkien and Alterity, 2017) and essays in those collections. Current projects include a monograph on same-sex love and death in Old English texts and a co-edited collection on Queer Tolkien and medieval sadomasochism. He also publishes poetry, including ekphrastic works.

• Awards: 2010 Kroepsch-Maurice Excellence in Teaching Award Nomination

He teaches courses such as British Literature Survey, Queering the Middle Ages, and History of the English Language, blending scholarly rigor with creative expression. His academic service includes leadership roles in the International Society of Anglo-Saxonists and the Tolkien at Kalamazoo conference.