A Little About Me…

I’m an essayist, biographer, fiction writer, poet, journalist, editor, teacher, writing consultant, and reading series host based in Seattle, WA. The things I’m most excited about right now are:

1. My novel The Last Grand Tour, forthcoming from Korza Books this fall.
2. My nonfiction book An Island to Myself: The Place of Solitude in an Active Life, forthcoming from Monkfish Publishing in spring 2025.
3. A new monthly program I’ll be hosting for the Cascadia Art Museum in Edmonds, WA, called the Cascadia Writers-in-Conversation Series. It will feature Pacific Northwest writers talking about their work, their process, and writing in general. The series begins at 6 p.m. on Thursday, August 8. Check back for the name of our first writer and how to register for the first evening.
4. My website WritingtheNorthwest.com, which features literary, historical, and contemporary writings about the Pacific Northwest.

Previous life: Writing professor at Columbia University, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and Portland State University, where I taught for 17 years and helped found the MFA in Creative Writing program. I retired from full-time teaching in 2017 and am now professor emeritus in English and Creative Writing at PSU.

Education: MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University in New York and BA in Journalism from the University of Oregon.

Publications: My essays, articles, short stories, and poems have appeared in a wide variety of publications, including Tin House, Orion, Poetry, Utne Reader, StoryQuarterly, The Seattle Review, Image, Notre Dame Magazine, The Crab Orchard Review, The South Dakota Review, Weber: The Contemporary West, Poets & Writers, The Writers’ Chronicle, American Theatre, The Mid-American Poetry Review, Carve, Inkwell, Portland Magazine, Portland Monthly, Oregon Humanities, Oregon Quarterly, Oregon Historical Quarterly, Oregon Arts Watch, The Merton Annual, The Merton Journal, and The Merton Seasonal. I’ve also contributed chapters to The Dictionary of Literary Biography; The Oregon Encyclopedia; Now Write! Nonfiction: Memoir, Journalism and Creative Nonfiction Exercises from Today’s Best Writers and Teachers; and Europe 101: History and Art for the Traveler.

My first book Pure Act: The Uncommon Life of Robert Lax, published in 2015 by Fordham University Press, received an Excellence in Writing Award from the Association of Catholic Publishers and was a finalist for a Washington State Book Award in Biography/Memoir and a Catholic Press Association Book Award in Biography. In 2016, the American Association of University Publishers named it one of the year’s 10 best university press books in American Literature for libraries.

Awards and fellowships: In December 2021, I was chosen to be the 2022 Donald J. Sterling, Jr., Senior Research Fellow in Pacific Northwest History. The fellowship, awarded by the Oregon Historical Society, has helped fund the research for a forthcoming biography of J. D. Ross, a tragically forgotten figure who was once the country’s leading voice in the battle between public and private power. (You can read more about Ross and my project here.)

My other writing awards include two Notable Essay designations in Best American Essays, a Pushcart Prize Special Mention, the Oregon Literary Arts Leslie Bradshaw Fellowship in Nonfiction, the Daniel Curley Award for Short Fiction, an Illinois Arts Council Literary Award, a Walden Residency Fellowship, an Image Artist of the Month selection, and the Kilian McDonnell Fellowship in Faith and Culture. During my teaching career, I received the John Eliot Allen Award as the PSU English Department’s Outstanding Teacher five times.

In 2017, I was honored with the prestigious Lenna Endowed Visiting Professorship at St. Bonaventure University in Olean, NY, and gave a keynote address at the International Thomas Merton Society’s biannual conference. In the fall of 2018, I was selected to be one of eight international writers in residence at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China. And in 2012 and 2019, I was a resident scholar at the Collegeville Institute at St. John’s University in Minnesota.

Appearances: In addition to interviews on NPR’s “Talk of the Nation” and local radio programs such as Oregon Public Broadcasting’s “Think Out Loud,” I’ve done podcasts for Poetry magazine, Late Night Library, City Lights Bookstore, and Urban Roots. I’ve also spoken on aspects of writing, peace and justice, and other subjects at many conferences, including the Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) Conference, the International Thomas Merton Society Conference, the Building Cultures of Peace Conference, the Northwest Independent Scholars Association Conference, the Ooligan Press Write to Publish Conference, and the Portland Book Festival.

Other writing-related work: As a journalist, I’ve covered theater and other arts for the Oregonian and Seattle Weekly, reviewed dozens of books for various publications, published hundreds of freelance articles, and worked as the Asia reporter for a relief and development magazine. I’ve also served as editor-in-chief for three magazines, including Columbia: A Journal of Literature and Art, and was the first nonfiction editor for the Oregon Literary Review. Currently, I edit and write for the websites WritingtheNorthwest.com and RobertLax.com.

In addition to serving as a mentor for emerging writers and a summer writing coach for the Collegeville Institute, I work as an independent writing consultant. My work with individual writers has led to the publication of numerous books, articles, and prize-winning essays. In 2021, I helped with the translation of the German version of Robert Lax’s 33 Poems.

Earlier work and volunteer positions: Before turning my attention fully to writing and teaching, I worked as a wildland firefighter, lecturer/guide for European tours, and small-business owner. I’ve served on the Advisory Committee for the Oregon Book Awards and Fellowships, Portland theater’s Drammy Awards Committee, and the International Thomas Merton Society Board of Directors. I’m currently a member of PEN, Biographers International Organization (BIO), the Authors Guild, the Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP), the Oregon Historical Society, and the International Thomas Merton Society.

To contact me with thoughts about my writing, queries about future appearances, or possible consulting on your writing, please use the form below.