Biography:

"My object in living is to unite
My avocation and my vocation
As my two eyes make one in sight"
Robert Frost, "Two Tramps in Mud Time"

I have always loved to read and to write. That's why I chose to major in English in college (B.A., Pacific Union College) and became an English teacher. Caring teachers encouraged my interests and my pursuit of graduate degrees (M.A., Pacific Union College; Ph.D., University of Colorado). Getting paid to read and talk about books is a childhood dream come true! I want my students to catch a bit of my passion for good reading and writing. I also like to explore with them the relationship of what they read to their development of a Christian worldview.

I specialize in American literature and regularly teach such courses as American Literature to 1900 and Modern Literature in English (the American portion). I also teach Research Methods to graduate students and other literature and writing courses as needed..

My research interests include a long-held devotion to the works of Willa Cather, as well as more generally to Western American Literature, American Drama, and the relationship of Christianity to literature. I recently authored a book, Teaching Literature: A Seventh-day Adventist Approach.

My life away from the classroom mirrors my professional concerns: reading, travel to American literary and historical sites, and experiencing the arts and popular culture (including professional baseball).