Positive Pollutions and Cultural Toxins: Waste and Contamination in Contemporary U.S. Ethnic Literatures

Acknowledgments

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The completion of this manuscript has not been an individual effort or accomplishment. There are a number of people whom I must acknowledge for their assistance and support and without whom this would not have been possible. I want to specifically thank and acknowledge: My friends and colleagues at University of California, Santa Barbara, whose good humor and comradeship made my experiences infinitely better than they would have been without them. You know who you are. My friends from the College of William and Mary: Elizabeth Barnes, Jack Martin, Colleen Kennedy, Anne Charity Hudley, Phillip Merritt, Will Hausman, Sarah Stafford, and Greg Hancock, for dealing me in. I don’t know what I would have done without your kindness and warm welcome. I miss you all. My sister Jennifer Rockwell, to whom I owe my life. My brother Michael Petersen, for always being there. My dissertation committee cochairs Professor Stephanie LeMenager, for her tireless effort and amazing responsiveness and support, and Professor Carl Gutiérrez-Jones, for all his help throughout my career, guiding this project from its inception to its completion; my committee members Professor Cheryll Glotfelty, whose insightful analysis and attention to detail has been invaluable, and Professor Shirley Geok-lin Lim, for her exceptional and unflagging professional guidance and mentorship. And finally Mr. E. Friend, for his unwavering assistance during the composition of this piece. I have presented versions of these chapters at conferences around the United States, Canada, and Taiwan. I am deeply appreciative of the feedback I have received at those gatherings. I would also like to acknowledge the William and Mary Faculty Summer Research Grant. Any errors, oversights, or omissions are mine alone. POSITIVE POLLUTIONS AND CULTURAL TOXINS ...