I grew up in Southern California during the 60's and 70's and went to the University of Southern California as an undergrad. I graduated with a degree in English in 1981. I went to grad school at the University of California, Los Angeles in the 80's and got my PhD in American Literature in 1989. I taught at UCLA Writing Programs for two years and came to the Department of English (formerly the Department of Literature and Language) at Northern Kentucky University in 1991.

My main research interests are in theories of teaching multicultural American literature and culture. I've published articles on American literature, teaching about race, popular music, the future of humanities education, and being an academic from the working class. I've edited an essay collection about teaching multicultural American literature called The Canon in the Classroom: Pedagogical Implications of Canon Revision in American Literature. I am also editor of the instructor's resource manual for the second, third, fourth, fifth, and now sixth editions of The Heath Anthology of American Literature as well as a collection of essays on politics and the The Simpsons entitled Leaving Springfield: The Simpsons and the Possibility of Oppositional Culture. I have also published two composition textbooks: The Working Life and my most recent, Text Messaging: Reading and Writing About Popular Culture .

I'm also interested in critical theory, film, and TV (I grew up in California, after all) and rock 'n' roll (if you are truly brave of heart try a couple of BITTER PILLS to hear me in action).

Click here if you'd like to see my complete CV.