Ami Tanahashi studies contemporary Japanese literature, focusing on portrayals of girlhood and feminine adolescent identity. She received her B.A. from Soka University of America in 2017 and recently received her M.A. from the University of Washington in Japanese literature. For her master’s thesis, she examined parodies of gender identity found in Kurahashi Yumiko’s novel, Seishōjo. As a Ph.D. student, she hopes to continue studying literature centered on girlhood and girls' culture, but seeks to expand her research to include contemporary works of both Korean and Asian-American literature.