Igrew up very much a nerd and inveterate book worm.  Somewhere in my sophomore year of high school, I realized that I should consider taking as much an interest in real people as I did in fictional characters.  I’ve enjoyed traveling and meeting people ever since, although I’ve never lost my penchant for reading literature.

After surviving high school in a small town in southeastern Massachusetts, I attended a liberal arts college in Maine.  In particular, I enjoyed the junior year I spent studying art history in Paris, and the senior year I spent writing an Honors Thesis on the poet Andrew Marvel.  After a year working as a librarian in Harvard’s Widener Library, I decided to pursue my doctorate in English literature and critical theory at the University of California, Irvine.  Little did I know that I would become a permanent resident of the west coast, never to return east for more than the occasional vacation.  In 1992, I was very happy when Western Washington University offered me a job to teach literature and theory: I have come to love the department, university, and city that are now my home.

More recently I became the father of two brilliant, lively children.  Becoming a father transformed my life and encouraged me to become a student again, this time a student of infants and young children.  I enjoy hikes with my family to regional parks, reading children’s books, sitting on the ground and examining insects, telling stories, playing board games, learning the piano, cooking, playing soccer, attending the children’s theater in Seattle, swimming, and riding bikes.

When not spending time with my family, I like to get into the outdoors as much as possible.  I love to run, mountain bike, kayak, wilderness hike, and swim long distance. I also have a great passion for the theater and film: I try to see as many performances as possible with my partner and friends.  Gardening and home projects fill what remains of my personal time.