O'Connell, Sean 1944–

PERSONAL: Born May 19, 1944, in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada; son of Dennis S. and Barbara O'Connell; children: Meghan, Kristin. Ethnicity: "Irish-Canadian." Education: University of Alberta, B.A., 1965, M.A., 1967, Ph.D., 1980; University of California, Berkeley, M.A., 1972. Politics: "Not affiliated." Religion: "Not affiliated." Hobbies and other interests: Sailing, motorcycles, travel, theater, music.

ADDRESSES: Home—Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Office—Box 75198, Ritchie Post Office, Edmonton, Alberta T6E 6K1, Canada; fax: 780-497-5347. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Grant MacEwan College, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, professor of philosophy, 1980–. Psychotherapist and psychological consultant.

MEMBER: American Philosophical Practitioners Association, Psychologists Association of Alberta.

AWARDS, HONORS: Canada Council doctoral fellow, 1968–72.

WRITINGS:

(With John King Farlow) Self-Conflict and Self Healing, University Press of America (Lanham, MD), 1988.

Dilemmas and Decisions, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1994.

Cartesian Dreams (play), Phi-Psi Publishers (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada), 2000.

Plato's Retreat: A Play in Two Acts, Phi-Psi Publishers (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada), 2001.

Lives and Evils (play), Phi-Psi Publishers (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada), 2000.

Neecheemoos and Inuspi (play), Phi-Psi Publishers (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada), 2003.

Gemini2 (novel), Trafford Publishers (Victoria, British Columbia, Canada), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS: Sean O'Connell once told CA: "I write to teach. As a philosophy professor and licensed psychotherapist I attempt to explore and perhaps resolve issues and problems in both philosophy and psychology. To that end, I am now writing exclusively in the media of fiction and drama. My aim is to write novels and plays that both stand on their own aesthetically and are pedagogically effective as teaching supplements. In combining philosophical and artistic concerns I am influenced by writers like Jean-Paul Sartre. My primary literary influences are Samuel Beckett, Søren Kierkegaard, and Milan Kundera. My subjects are aligned with what I teach: ethics, philosophy of mind, aesthetics, and philosophy of religion. A recently published novel, Gemini2, addresses questions about personal identity in the context of racial, cultural, and gender differences."