Gessner, Michael 1944–

(Michael George Gessner)

PERSONAL: Born October 16, 1944, in Highland Park, MI; son of Frederick George (an automotive interior designer) and Mary Gertrude (a ceramist; maiden name, Leitz; later surname, Tobin) Gessner; married Jane Catharine Rassicotte (a watercolorist), May 11, 1968; children: Christopher George. Ethnicity: "Swiss German and Irish." Education: Wayne State University, B.S., 1971; University of Colorado, Boulder, M.A., 1980, Ph.D., 1982. Religion: Roman Catholic. Hobbies and other interests: Fly fishing, hiking, tennis.

ADDRESSES: Home—1749 E. Deer Hollow Loop, Tucson, AZ 85737. Office—Central Arizona College, 8470 North Overfield Rd., Coolidge, AZ 85228; fax: 520-426-4284. E-mail—[email protected]; [email protected].

CAREER: Texaco, Inc., Chicago Region, Ecorse, MI, supervisor of employee relations and training, 1966–71; high school teacher, 1972–76, 1982–84; Central Arizona College, Coolidge, chair of English department and director of creative writing program, 1985–2001, director of honors program, 1993–96, executive director of honors education, 2001–. Also taught at University of Colorado, Boulder, and University of Arizona (Andrew Mellon appointment); guest speaker at other institutions, including National University of Ireland, University College, Dublin; presenter at professional meetings; creative writing judge for National Council of Teachers of English "Teachers as Writers Contest," 1992–94, and for contests at Florence State Penitentiary; affiliate of composition, and gifted and talented programs at the White Mountain Apache Reservation and the Navajo Reservation at Ganado; public speaker. Military service: U.S. Army, Intelligence, 1965–71; became sergeant.

MEMBER: Modern Language Association of America, Academy of American Poets, PEN West, Society of Southwestern Authors, Poetry Center of University of Arizona.

AWARDS, HONORS: Andrew Mellon fellow at University of Arizona, 1982–83; Chancellor's Commendation for Service, University of Colorado, Boulder; President's Award for Excellence in Teaching, Central Arizona College, 2000–01; Pablo Neruda Award finalist.

WRITINGS:

The Custodian's Journal (novel), Xlibris (Philadelphia, PA), 2000.

Working Words: Labour and Meaning in Irish Literature, St. John's University Publications (Jamaica, NY), 2001.

Earthly Bodies, Pudding House Press (Columbus, OH), 2004.

Surfaces, March Street Press, 2006.

Author of Language Acquisition, C.V. Mosby/Times-Mirror. Work represented in anthologies, including The Writing Process: Composition and Applied Grammar, Books 7 and 11, Allen & Bacon (Boston, MA), 1982; and Dog Music, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1996. Contributor of articles, short stories, poetry, and reviews to periodicals, including American Literary Review, English Journal, Kappan, Oxford, Pacific Review, Poem, Wallace Stevens Journal, Wisconsin Review, Sycamore Review, and Journal of the American Medical Association.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Letters, for Chax Press (Tucson, AZ); Glass, a Seduction, a novel; Contests of Will, nonfiction; a collection of essays; journals.