BIO

Originally from Columbia, Missouri, Ashleigh (she/fae) has called Orlando home for over 30 years. She earned her Master's Degree in Literary, Cultural, & Textual Studies with concentrations in Victorian and Gothic literature, psychoanalytic theory, and gender studies from the University of Central Florida in 2015.

 

A playwright and member of The Dramatists Guild of America, Ashleigh was the recipient of the top playwriting grant and "Best New Play" from New Generation Theatrical for her play Qualia: a post nuclear play, presented at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in October 2019. Qualia has since been produced nationally in Orlando, The Villages, and Chicago.

 

Ashleigh is also a professional entertainment photographer. Her photography has been seen in The Washington Post, The Associated Press, The Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Weekly, Watermark, and The Chicago Reader, among others.

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When she's not working, she tends a vegetable and flower garden in her backyard, reads high fantasy and horror fiction, and maintains a working knowledge of period-respective undergarments ranging from the early 18th to the early 20th century.

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A few random fun factoids:

• Her favorite animal is any raccoon.

• She is a member of the AuDHD community, and is an advocate for neurodivergent inclusion, accommodation, and celebration, with special focus on ADHD and the Autism spectrum.

• The first research paper she ever wrote was on Vlad the Impaler in 8th grade.

• Her favorite book of all time is The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi.