I am a Professor of English at Missouri Southern State University and the author of ten books of literary nonfiction and contemporary literary criticism (the eight currently available and two forthcoming: Solve for X and The Obligations of the Harp). My essays have appeared in numerous journals, including Gettysburg Review, Iowa Review, Fiction International, Black Warrior Review, Cream City Review, Ascent, Ohio Review, River City, Columbia, Mid-American Review, Gulf Coast, and many more. I have earned seven Pushcart nominations and have been included several times in the annual Notable Essays listing of the Best American Essay series. Awards for my writing include the Columbia Nonfiction Award, the Victor J. Emmett Memorial Essay Award (Midwest Quarterly), the Nebraska Review Creative nonfiction Award, the Ames Memorial Essay Award, and the First Series Creative Nonfiction Award (Mid-List Press).