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Jennifer Buehler, Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Educational Studies

Education

Ph.D., English and Education, University of Michigan

M.A., English, Eastern Michigan University

B.A., American Studies, Yale University

Practice Areas

  • Young Adult Literature 
  • The Teaching of Writing
  • Ethnographic Research in Education

Research Interests

Buehler’s primary expertise is young adult literature. She has written author profiles, publisher reading guides, position statements, talking points to defend diverse books, and a book for teachers that centers the complexity of YA literary texts. During her years hosting a YA lit podcast for the National Council of Teachers of English, she interviewed many of the field’s most distinguished authors including Laurie Halse Anderson, John Green, A.S. King, Judy Blume, and Walter Dean Myers. Her current work on book bans is anchored in a study of the Judy Blume papers at Yale University. This project is supported by a Jockey Hollow Fellowship from Yale University, a Beaumont Scholarship Research Award from Saint Louis University, and a Sister Shirley Kolmer Memorial Grant from the Saint Louis University Women’s Commission.

Buehler is also an ethnographer. She received the NCTE Promising Researcher Award for her ethnographic study of how staff members produced “toxic” school culture at an underperforming, racially divided high school. She went on to examine the experiences of dropout and disconnected youth who chose to return to school after an interruption in their education. Buehler’s ethnographic research has been supported by a Presidential Research Fund Award, a Faculty Research Leave, a Beaumont Faculty Development Grant, and a Charter School Sponsorship Faculty Grant, all from Saint Louis University.

Publications and Media Placements

Books

  • Buehler, J. (in development). The responsibility of being Judy: Judy Blume, the fight against book bans, and the story of becoming an advocate.
  • Buehler, J. (2016). Teaching reading with YA literature: Complex texts, complex lives. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.
Selected Book Chapters
  • Buehler, J. (2025). Writing through the complexities of culturally responsive teacher education. In J. E. Beitler & S. R. Robbins (Eds.), Sites of writing: Essays in honor of Anne Ruggles Gere (pp. 241-252). WAC Clearinghouse Press, University Press of Colorado.
  • Buehler, J. (2019). Positioning theory: Exploring power, social location, and moral choices of the American dream in American Street. In R. Ginsberg & W. Glenn (Eds.), Engaging with multicultural YA literature in the secondary classroom: Critical approaches for critical educators (pp. 11-21). New York, NY: Routledge.
Selected Journal Articles
  • Buehler, J. (2024). Advocating for diverse books in politically divided times. The ALAN Review 51(2), 75-90.
  • Buehler, J. (2023). Voices of YA authors in the conversation about censorship. English Journal, 112(5), 64-70.
  • Brown, A., Mitchell, J., Kaywell, J., Bach, J., Buehler, J., Crowe, C., Richmond, K. J., Glenn, W., Scherff, L., Bickmore, S. (2014). The look of classic young adult literature. The ALAN Review, 41(2), 6-14.
  • Buehler, J. (2013). “There’s a problem, and we’ve got to face it”: How staff members wrestled with race in an urban high school. Race Ethnicity and Education, 16(5), 629-652.
  • Buehler, J., Plumb, D., & Walsh, J. (2013). Young adult literature book awards: A guide for newcomers to the field. The ALAN Review, 40(3), 63-74.
Position Statements
  • Buehler, J., Davila, D., McClure, A., & Miller, D. (2018). Preparing teachers with knowledge of children’s and YA literature. Position statement prepared for the National Council of Teachers of English. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.
Quick Reference Guides
  • Buehler, J. (2019). Teaching reading with YA literature. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.
Op-Eds
  • Buehler, J. (2025, December 1). LGBTQ+ Literature, Book Bans, and the Power of a New Public 
    Narrative. St. Louis Right to Read Coalition Newsletter.
  • Buehler, J. (2025, October 8). This is Banned Books Week. Here are some that had an impact. St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
  • Buehler, J. (2023, June 11). Speaking up for diverse books: Five rebuttals to the most common arguments for limiting students’ choices. St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Selected Conference Papers
  • Buehler, J. (February 2025). The responsibility of being Judy: Judy Blume, the fight against book bans, 
    and the story of becoming an advocate. Paper presented at the Children’s Literature Assembly Online Research Conference.
  • Buehler, J., & Preston, L. R. (April 2015). Searching for womanist care in a school for dropout youth.
    Paper presented for the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL.
  • Buehler, J., & Preston, L. R. (April 2014). Breaking out of colorblind care: Navigating care conflicts in 
    the work of reengaging dropout youth. Paper presented for the American Educational Research Association, Philadelphia, PA.
Selected Conference Presentations
  • Buehler, J. (November 2025). Teachers as readers: Sharing book love to fuel reading joy. With YA authors Nick Brooks, Brandy Colbert, Byron Graves, Neal Shusterman, and Ibi Zoboi. Panel presentation for the National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention, Denver, CO.
  • Buehler, J. (November 2025). Hidden histories: YA authors explore stories of the past to foster critical conversations about the present. With YA authors Ann Bausum, Libba Bray, Candace Fleming, Deborah Heiligman, and Jamie Jo Hoang. Panel presentation for the National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention, Denver, CO.
  • Buehler, J. (November 2025). Writing books into being: YA authors and editors share stories of writing process and book creation. With YA authors Angeline Boulley, Deborah Heiligman, and A.S. King. With YA editors Jess Harold, Andrew Karre, and Joy Peskin. Panel presentation 
    for the National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention, Denver, CO.

Honors and Awards

  • Ted Hipple Service Award, ALAN (Assembly on Literature for Young Adults of NCTE), 2025
  • Emerson Excellence in Teaching Award, Saint Louis University, 2024
  • Spirit of the Billiken Award for Undergraduate Mentoring, Saint Louis University, 2023
  • Undergraduate Faculty Excellence Award, Saint Louis University, 2022
  • Woman of the Year, Saint Louis University, 2016
  • Excellence in Graduate Faculty Mentoring Award, Saint Louis University, 2013
  • Promising Researcher Award, National Council of Teachers of English, 2011
  • Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship, University of Michigan, 2008-09
  • Mary Malcomson Raphael Fellowship, University of Michigan, 2007-08                    
  • School of Education Scholar Award, University of Michigan, 2003-07
  • Graduate Deans’ Award for Research Excellence, Eastern Michigan University, 2003

Professional Organizations and Associations

  • American Educational Research Association                         
  • National Council of Teachers of English                                 
  • ALAN (Assembly on Literature for Young Adults of NCTE)   
  • National Writing Project

Community Work and Service

Buehler is regularly asked to speak, write, and consult on young adult literature. She has led workshops on teaching YA lit in local school districts and regional educational consortiums, at state conferences, and at university literary festivals. She is also regularly asked to speak and write about YA lit for the National Council of Teachers of English. She served on the steering committee for Build Your Stack, an NCTE initiative designed to cultivate the reading lives of teachers, and she was asked to chair the committee tasked with revising the NCTE position statement on preparing teachers with knowledge of children’s and young adult literature. She served as President of ALAN (the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of the NCTE) in 2016.