David Graham
Professionally:
I have taught in the English Department at Ripon College since 1987. I regularly offer a range of courses, including American literature, Contemporary literature, and Poetry Aloud, but my special interest is in the teaching of writing: composition, poetry, and fiction.
I am also a poet, and have published my poetry in six collections so far, in addition to numerous print and online journals and anthologies. I have also published essays, reviews, fiction, and newspaper articles. Take a look at some actual samples of my essays, poems, and book reviews here. With Kate Sontag, I also co-edited an essay anthology on contemporary poetry, After Confession: Poetry as Autobiography.
At Ripon College I advise Parallax, the student literary/arts magazine, and co-ordinate the Visiting Writers Series, which has brought a wide range of writers to campus to meet students, teach classes, and give public readings.
In addition to my teaching duties at Ripon College, I have also given poetry readings and talks on poetry at a wide variety of schools, libraries, bookstores, and other venues in many states. In 1996 I served as Poet in Residence at the Robert Frost Place in Franconia, New Hampshire, where I have also served on the faculty for the Frost Festival and the Conference on Poetry & Teaching. My vita contains detailed information about my professional activities.
Before coming to Ripon in 1987, I taught at North Carolina State University, Virginia Tech, and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where I received my Master of Fine Arts degree in Literature & Creative Writing in 1980. In 1975 I received my B.A. from Dartmouth College.
Personally:
I was born and raised in Johnstown, New York, a small town in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains. My father was George A. Graham (1921-2007), and my mother is Nora K. Graham. I have a brother (John), a sister (Eleanor), and a bunch of nieces and nephews.
Before I began teaching, some of my jobs were as historic site tour guide, painter, manager of a self-service gas station, and freelance writer. Teaching is the best job I've had.
It was at Johnstown High School that I met my wife, Lee Shippey; we were married in 1975. Lee's an artist (she did the designs on three of my book covers), and works in the Art Department at Ripon College. She is slide librarian and registrar of the art collection; and has also taught drawing. We both love art and music and can be found at most such events at the College. We also like to hike, kayak and snow shoe.
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Piseco Lake shore
920-748-8722
grahamd@ripon.edu
grahamd@ripon.edu
Essays on poetry, co-edited with Kate Sontag. Graywolf
Press, 2001.
Poetry Collections:
Flume Press, 2000.
Pudding House, 2001
Texas Tech, 1990
Doggedness
Devil’s Millhopper, 1989
(out of print)
Flume Press, 1986
Cleveland State, 1986
