Tricia England is a PhD Candidate in the Rhetoric and Public Culture program of the Northwestern University School of Communication. Her dissertation explores definitions and avoidance of the political in contemporary American social media and humor discourse. Outside of her doctoral work, she is a regular contributor to The Onion and a member of the comedy-writing faculty at The Second City. She also has a professional background in political communications consulting and campaign management. She holds an M.A. in Communication Studies with a graduate certificate in Critical Theory from Northwestern, and a B.A. in English from Carleton College. tricia.england@gmail.com