Eileen Gardiner is a research fellow at the University of Bristol. She specializes in medieval visions of the otherworld and is the author of "Visions of Heaven and Hell Before Dante" and "Medieval Visions of Heaven and Hell: A Sourcebook." She has also published five volumes on hell in various religious traditions, including Hinduism and Buddhism. She holds a Ph.D. in English Literature and Medieval Studies. With Ron Musto, she is a co-founder and co-publisher of Italica Press, the former co-director of ACLS Humanities E-Book and of the Medieval Academy of America and co-editor of its journal, Speculum: A Journal of Medieval Studies.