I started out to be a theoretical physicist, but because of one extraordinary English professor I had as an undergrad, in a course I didn't even want to take but had to (Thank you, Dr. Jim Dale, wherever you are) my love of literature and beautiful writing was ignited, and my path took a very different turn. It was also this wonderful teacher who gave me my first teaching gig at the tender age of 18, as a kind of junior T.A. I gave four lectures in a course called English for Engineers 100, and a passion for teaching was passed on. Here I am 25 quick years later and I still love what I do. Whether it's ENG 099 or ENG 250, it's always interesting, always challenging, and always fun. I have learned how profoundly great teaching impacts a person's life, and I experienced firsthand the ability to empower that a committed teacher possesses, so I try to remember that every time I enter a classroom.

Schools Attended: McMaster University, University of Toronto, CUNY Graduate Center.

Area of Specialization: Postmodern Science-based Fiction

Favorite Quote: "To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of success" -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Authors I teach: Anything by James Baldwin, any chance I get, for his unflinching humanism. In ENG 102 I love to teach Mary Shelley's Frankenstein for her prophetic take on the dangers of scientific hubris; her story is as timely now as it was when she wrote it. Donald Barthelme's Snow White in ENG102 and ENG250 because it's fun to watch students' inevitable response to this (anti)novel: freaked out and then fascinated!