Education
- M.F.A. in Creative Writing, Louisiana State University, USA (2021)
- B.A. in American Studies, Temple University, USA (2005)
Courses Taught
- Rhetoric and Communication; New Media and Journalism; Choose Your Own Adventure: Exploring Interactive Fiction; So, What Had Happened Was: Intro to Creative Nonfiction; Zine Scene: Introduction to Zine Making; Reading the Horror Film; Transdisciplinary Practicum; Capstone I and II.
Biography
Christie Marie Lauder is Assistant Dean of the School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at Habib University and has served as Program Director and Assistant Professor of Communication and Design since 2022 (the “Interim” designation on her role has since been resolved — this is now a substantive appointment). She teaches creative writing, film theory, and journalism, and has built an active public-facing profile in Karachi’s literary and media community.
Before Habib, Lauder was Director of the Delta Mouth Literary Festival (2020–2021) and Editor-at-Large of the New Delta Review (2020–2022) at Louisiana State University, where she completed her M.F.A. in Creative Writing (2021) and served as a Post-Doctoral and Graduate Teaching Instructor in the English Department (2018–2022). Earlier, she was Acting Director (2014–2016) and Assistant Director (2016–2017) of the Centre for Excellence in Journalism at the Institute of Business Administration, Karachi, and a Board Member of its Masters in Journalism Development program (2015–2017).
Lauder’s writing explores the intersections of gender, popular culture, and technology, and has appeared in Persephone Magazine, Peauxdunque Review, Jezebel, and Refinery29, among other outlets; her story “Dead Girl Summer” was a Pushcart Prize nominee (2021). She was a Board Member of The Salam Award for Imaginative Fiction (2019–2023) and a member of Desi Writers’ Lounge, through which she has conducted numerous writing workshops across Karachi, including sessions on zine-making at the Habib Library and with the Arts and Cultural Club.
At Habib, Lauder serves on the Creative Practice Working Group, the AI Conference Board, and the AI Policy Board, and is Faculty Advisor to Pride Press; she was Faculty Senator for Communication and Design from August 2022 to January 2024. She has become a regular voice in Karachi’s public cultural life — interviewing authors at the Karachi Literature Festival (2023–2025), speaking on AI and digital humanities at the 17th Aalmi Urdu Conference (2024), and appearing at the Pakistan American Cultural Center and ADAB Festival, among other venues.
Selected Publications
- Evil Women: Representations within Literature, Culture and Film (editor, with Robyn Muir, Beatrice Frasl, and Elizabeth Schreiber-Byers), Brill, 2022.
- “Dead Girl Summer,” Peauxdunque Review, Issue 5, 2021 (Pushcart Prize nominee).
- “Avenging Devils,” in Evil Women, Brill Publishing (forthcoming).
- “How Do We Solve a Problem like Laurie? Modern Slasher Films and Final (Older) Women,” Popular Culture Association Annual Conference, 2020.
- “In-Between the Bayou and the Sunken Place: Body Possession and the Gothic in Get Out and the Skeleton Key,” Mardi Gras Conference, 2020.
Selected Speaking Engagements (2023–2025)
- Panelist, “Artificial Intelligence & Digital Humanities,” 17th Aalmi Urdu Conference, November 2024
- Interviewer, “Book Discussion: No Funeral for Nazia by Taha Kehar” and “Coining a Wishing Tower,” Karachi Literature Festival, February 2025
- Interviewer, “In Conversation with Bina Shah,” Karachi Literature Festival, February 2024
- Guest Speaker, “A Talk by Professor Christie Lauder,” Pakistan American Cultural Center, April 2025
- University Liaison and Guest Speaker, HUM TV Network Media Conference, April 2024
Grants
- Journalism Wellness Center, Deutsche Welle Akademie
- Citizen Journalism Conference/Lab, Azad Excellence in Journalism Award, Pakistan-U.S. Alumni Network
- National Media Conference, United States State Department
- CEJ Incubation Lab, ICFJ Knight Fellowship
Professional Affiliations
- Association of Writers and Writing Programs
- Horror Writers Association of America
- International Gothic Association
- Popular Culture Association
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