Ayanna Thompson is an expert in Shakespearean studies specializing in Renaissance drama and race in performance. 

Unofficially known as the 鈥淥thello whisperer,鈥� Thompson is the director of the Arizona Center for Medieval & Renaissance Studies and creator of the RaceB4Race symposium, an ongoing conference series and professional network community for scholars of color.

Thompson is a Regents Professor of English and Director of the Arizona Center for Medieval & Renaissance Studies. Thompson鈥檚 studies also include British literature, theatre, race and gender politics.

She is the author of several books, including "Shakespeare in the Theatre: Peter Sellars," "Teaching Shakespeare with Purpose: A Student-Centred Approach," "Passing Strange: Shakespeare, Race, and Contemporary America," and "Performing Race and Torture on the Early Modern Stage.鈥�