Her published work, including Feminism the Left, and Postwar Literary Culture (UP Mississippi 2012), focuses on class, culture, politics, and movement building in twentieth-century United States literature. McDonald serves as a mentor and writing group facilitator for family caregivers at Visible Ink at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Her current research studies the intersection of medicine, literature, and writing, particularly the relationship between personal narratives, end-of-life care, and public policy advocacy. Seminars & Working Groups