Tricia Welsch is a professor of Cinema Studies at Bowdoin College and a film historian with a specialization in early cinema. She has published a biography on Gloria Swanson, one of the biggest stars of the silent era, titled Gloria Swanson: Ready For Her Close-Up. Professor Welsch has been a faculty member at Bowdoin for 26 years and is the original member of their Film Department, serving as its only member for the program’s first 7 years. She teaches a dozen different courses and a number of independent studies, some of which include classes on specific directors, biopics, gay and lesbian cinema, British film, and a survey of American film.