Education

Ph.D., English and Creative Writing, University of Denver, 1980
M.A., History, University of Denver, 1983
M.A., English and Creative Writing, University of Denver, 1976
B.A., English, Washington College, 1973

Teaching Experience

University of Mississippi, 1985- (assistant professor, associate professor, professor)
Die Universitaet Tuebingen, 1980-1985 (Lektor fuer Amerikanistik)
University of Denver, 1974-1979 (teaching assistant)
Courses taught for the University of Maryland, European Division, and
Antioch University WestóDenver Center

Selected Professional Activities

Program Committee, SEA Conference, 2001
Director of Writing, 1999-2001
Chair, English Department, 1991-1999
Judge, SECAS/SEA Essay Prize Competition, 1999
Editor and Publisher, Jefferson City Broadside Society, 1996-
Chair, Clifford Prize Committee, ASECS, 1995
Executive Board, SESECS, 1994-1996
President, Southern Literary Festival, 1994
Vice-President, Southern Literary Festival, 1993
Past-President and Executive Board, SECAS, 1994-1996
President, SECAS, 1991-1993
Established SECAS, 1990

Awards. Grants, and Fellowships

History of the Book Seminar, American Antiquarian Society, 1999
Research Fellowship, American Antiquarian Society, 1993
National Archives Fellowship, Institute for the Editing of Historical Documents, 1989
Research Fellowship, The John Carter Brown Library, 1988
History of the Book Seminar, American Antiquarian Society, 1988
First Place, ASECS National Teaching Competition, 1988
Outstanding Essay in American Studies, 1983

Lectures and Conference Presentations

68 papers presented at conferences since 1980

Selected Publications

Pillars of Salt: An Anthology of Early American Criminal Narrative, 1994

62 articles, chapters, critical entries, and reviews published since 1980. Articles published in such journals as EAL, AS, AQ, SCR. SCL, SAQ, SECC, and EC:T&I. Forthcoming essay in EAL this winter

When I first interviewed at the University of Mississippi during the winter of 1985, I was taken on a quick tour of the library, where I discovered that the early American sections were rather thin. My tour guide, a future friend and colleague in English Department, laughed at my dismay.

"Well?" he remarked, "itís not like there was a lot published back then." A Renaissance scholar, he then proudly showed me how many books the library had on Shakespeare.

I am proud that we have made considerable progress in early American studies since 1985. Our field is more active, energetic, and dynamic than ever before, and our understanding of early American culture is better able to grasp the complexities of the period than ever before. Yet I believe that we have only just begun to explore the profound and manifold significance of early America.

I think that we work in a crucial, if not urgent, area of study. At a time when references are often made to the "founding fathers" in both political cant and popular speech, we have the responsibility of sorting out the realities from the mythologies. Not only do we have to inform our students and colleagues of the unique and critical developments in early American culture, but also people outside of the academy. Instead of writing articles and books for each other, we should consider how to address larger, more general audiences.

I think that SEA must continue to play an active, vital role in opening up early American studies. In bringing us together and in stimulating cooperation and dialogue, our organization has made tremendous improvements in our field. We must continue to build on these good initiatives. With the advent of electronic communication, we now have greater possibilities for collaboration than ever before. We can maintain a dialogue in which voices from all disciplines, areas, and perspectives can be heard, and we can work together to co-author our combined insights. Through SEA we can mutually assist each other in our research and in our classrooms, and through such mutual assistance we can demonstrate to everyone else that what happened "back then" critically informs what takes place now.