Laurel Taylor is a PhD Candidate in Japanese and Comparative Literature at Washington University in St. Louis. She also holds an MFA in Literary Translation from the University of Iowa. While her research primarily focuses on modern and contemporary Japanese literature, the question of how to translate classical Japanese poetry and literature has haunted her for nearly ten years. She has previously presented at the University of Iowa, the American Literary Translators Association Conference, and Washington University in St. Louis on methods for translating hokku, The Tale of Genji, and so-called “false tales” from Japan’s medieval period.