Literature and the Arts
I have a strong and varied background in the arts.
I am a creative writer myself. I've published over 100 poems and over 100 short stories, as well as a number of personal essays. A number of these have won awards. I've also attended various writing workshops, such as Clarion West, the six week long intensive devoted to writing science fiction.
As far as more formal training, I have a BA in English from the University of Washington, and an MA and PhD in English from the University of Iowa. I've taught composition and literature classes at Iowa, North Carolina State University, Baker College, Kaplan College, Upper Iowa, and the University of Phoenix. I've published critical essays and literary study guides on dozens of authors; my work has appeared in for the Encyclopedia of Supernatural Literature, the Encyclopedia of Men and Masculinity: A U.S. Social and Cultural History, Alexander Street Press’s Black Drama database, Salem Press’s Cyclopedia of Literary Place and Masterplots II: Drama, the Dictionary of Literary Biography and in study guides published by eNotes, LitFinder, and Instantknowledge.com. I've published hundreds of book reviews in both the academic and popular press. I've served on the editorial board of a literary journal (100 Words).
I've served as a judge for a national literary award focusing on science fiction (the Philip K. Dick award), and as a judge for the Audies, an award dedicated to the best audiobooks.
I've worked as a theater reviewer, covering hundreds of plays in Seattle. I've also published articles on television, and reviewed websites and online events. For several years now, I've been reviewing audiobooks for Audiofile.
I've taken part in public speaking contests sponsored by Toastmasters, winning second place in the state of Iowa for humorous speaking in 2000.
As far as the visual arts, I've only limited professional experience there: I have collaborated with artists on cartoons and children's books, and have written poems inspired by paintings.