Educational Background

I earned all of my degrees at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. I completed my bachelor's degree between August 1972 and May 1976. My major was English, and I minored in journalism. I graduated magna cum laude. From May 1976 until August 1978, I concentrated on composing poetry and received my master's degree in creative writing. From August 1978 until August 1981, I did my doctoral work. My majors were early American literature and prose fiction (that is, British and American novels). My minors were creative writing and American studies (an interdisciplinary field combining literature, history, philosophy, and other fields). I entitled my dissertation "Hankering, Gross, Mystical, Nude: The Persona in Leaves of Grass." After earning my PhD in 1981, I came to Northern Kentucky University to begin my full-time tenure-track position in the Literature and Language Department.

I've taught thirty separate courses at NKU. Twenty-three of these courses have been in English. Ten have been honors seminars. Three have been graduate courses. Fourteen have been American literature courses, ranging from colonial to modern.

Courses Taught

• Studies in American Literature Before 1865, ENG 665
• Studies in American Literature Since 1865, ENG 667
• Readings in American Literature, ENG 510
• Independent Study of American Literature, ENG 498
• Special Project in Creative Writing--Poetry, ENG 490
• Studies in American Literature, ENG 464
• Survey of American Literature II, ENG 399
• Studies in American Literature: The Machine and the Garden, formerly ENG 397, then ENG 364
• Poetry Writing, ENG 394
• Traditional Grammar, ENG 371
• Nineteenth-Century American Literature--Poe, ENG 351
• Nineteenth-Century American Literature--Whitman, ENG 351
• Survey of American Literature II, ENG 306
• Survey of American Literature I, ENG 305
• American Novel, ENG 301
• Survey of American Literature II, ENG 209
• Survey of American Literature I, ENG 208
• Literature and the Human Experience, ENG 265
• Introduction to Literature, ENG 200
• Advanced Writing, ENG 291
• Composition II, ENG 102
• Composition I, ENG 101
• Honors Composition, ENG 151
• Senior Honors Thesis/Project, HNR 401 - HNR 402
• Special Topics, HNR 305
• Humanity and the Machine, HNR 304
• The Humanities Tradition in Britain, HNR 303 (taught in Britain)
• Humanity and the Imagination, HNR 303
• Humanity and Society, HNR 302
• The Role of Intellect in Society, HNR 101

I've published The Harvest Story; three co-authored books (Speak No Evil! with Patricia C. Borne, Your Personal Writing Workout [now in its third edition] with Nancy D. Kersell, and Classic American Steamrollers with Judge Raymond L. Drake); an invited essay in Black Earth and Ivory Tower: New American Essays from Farm and Classroom, an anthology featuring "North America's foremost contemporary writers on the present rural experience"; an invited review of a republished book entitled The Furrow and Us: Essays on Soil and Sentiment; a chapter in the 175th Anniversary Edition of a book on the history of Warren County, Indiana; seventeen refereed articles (with "refereed" implying that expert readers served as a jury to decide whether or not my work should be published); twenty articles in journals having editors who decide to accept or to reject submissions; ninety-five articles in magazines covering the subject of agricultural history and literature; and over twenty poems in refereed journals. Sunrust devoted an entire issue to my poetry.

I've presented my research, scholarly papers, and creative work at twenty-one national conferences. On seventeen occasions, I've served as an invited speaker at academic gatherings. I've given twenty-five presentations at regional and state conferences.

I've acted original, one-person plays depicting the lives of Edgar Allan Poe and Walt Whitman. I performed over thirty productions as Whitman and two hundred productions as Poe for a combined audience of over twenty thousand people. In the spring of 1988, I performed for the Baltimore Poe Society, which named my play the authorized stage version of Poe's life. That Society brought me back in 1990 for repeat performances.

A summary of career highlights in reverse chronological order follows. In 2002, I was named a Presidential Ambassadors Lamplighter "Flame" Honoree. In 1998, I received an award in recognition of my contributions to LaLink, the student organization within the Literature and Language Department. In 1997, I was promoted to the rank of Full Professor. In 1995, I received the Strongest Influence Award, an honor given by alumni. From 1990 through 1991, I served as the scholar for the National Endowment for the Humanities grant entitled "A Paradigm of the Integration of Scholarship and Classroom Practice through the Study of Edgar Allan Poe." From 1986 through 1992, I consulted in the formation of honors programs at other colleges. From 1986 through 1989, I served as Vice-President, then as President, then as Past-President of the Mid-East Honors Association. In 1985 and 1986, I served as President of the Kentucky Honors Roundtable. I received tenure and promotion to the rank of Associate Professor in 1987. I was appointed Director of NKU's Honors Program in 1983. In 1981, I received the Indiana University Lieber Award for Distinguished Teaching by an Associate Instructor, presented to only four graduate students annually.

I've served many years as an illustrator and commercial artist and have contributed drawings for numerous publications at NKU and throughout the nation. In fact, the animated drawing of Edgar Allan Poe on the English page of the Literature and Language Department home page originated with me, and my art may be seen on the English major home page and on other web sites I've designed.

My research interests include William Dean Howells, Edgar Allan Poe, Walt Whitman, the cultures of small towns and rural areas, and the literature and history of the steam power era.

Readers will understand my approach to learning if they first know about my upbringing. My mother often quoted Shakespeare, especially lines of Lady Macbeth, whose speeches my mother had memorized for a college course on literature and theater. Her dramatic portrayal forced itself on my childhood memory, as when she would turn from the kitchen sink, the suds that dripped down her arms becoming (in my vivid perception) the blood about which she moaned. When I was little--almost before I could read on my own--she insisted that my father, my brother, and I take turns reading aloud each night as a family. By the time I was in third grade, I had helped to read out loud not only Shakespeare's major plays but also other works of literature, such as Pilgrim's Progress and A Tale of Two Cities. My mother believed that, through hard work and imagination, a person could master any subject. My father shared my mother's view. He could blend in with other farmers and their talk about agricultural trends, but, as a Valedictorian from Pine Village (Indiana) High School and winner of the state Latin contest, he was curious about a wide range of fields. His favorite subjects were history and literature. Growing up on a farm in Indiana, I explored the world through my parents' books and through music and visual art. After earning three degrees at Indiana University and coming to NKU, I had validated my mother's belief by becoming a scholar of literature, a teacher, a playwright, a poet, an actor, an artist, a pianist, and an administrator. I'm equally at home studying popular culture or the Puritans, mundane topics or lofty philosophies, practical pedagogies or spiritual practices around the globe.

I believe in educating the whole person. I endeavor to reach students on as many levels as possible through role-playing, work involving their intuition, creative dramatics, and collaborative projects. I accept the validity of educational theories that hold that students learn holistically; therefore, I offer my classes not only cognitive training but also affective development through such means as painting and acting.

What unifies and distinguishes my record is that I am myself an active learner, curious about a full spectrum of subjects. For me, learning is an ongoing adventure. My students replicate my excitement for discovery.