Zoë Cary-Beckett studies popular fiction across media, with a focus on comics, science fiction, and fantasy. Her dissertation considers the ontological status of storyworlds. She is completing a PhD in the Department of English Language and Literature at the University of Chicago, under the supervision of Bill Brown, Patrick Jagoda, and Heather Keenleyside (spring 2025).

Alongside collaborators John Jennings and David Brame, Zoë is also the author of Black Butterflies, a graphic novel under contract with Abrams ComicArts (forthcoming 2027).

contact: zcarybeckett@gmail.com

*please note that publications before 2022 appear under the name “Zoë Smith”