I've grown up and lived in the Pittsburgh area all my life, attending both Carnegie-Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. At CMU, I majored in physics with the intention of going on into astronomy and writing science fiction in my off-time. Though I still write science fiction, I soon pursued my first interest of reading and went on into English literature instead. I've been at Seton Hill for some time and have loved all my years here.

Education

• Ph.D. in English, University of Pittsburgh, PA., 1979
• M.A. in English, University of Pittsburgh, PA., 1973
• B.S. in Physics and English, Carnegie Mellon University, PA., 1970

Publications

• "Reality Changed Our Vision of Mars" (article), The Pulpster, No. 29, August 2020, 33-37.
• Temporary Planets for Transitory Days: poems of Mykol Ranglen (poetry collection). Dog Star Books. June, 2020. [More Information]
• “What the Joker Said to Batman” (poem). Drawn to Marvel: Poems From the Comic Books, ed. Bryan Deitrich. Minor Arcan Press. February 2014.
• In a Suspect Universe (novel). Dog Star Books, Sept., 2018. [More Information]
• “Love Is a Place: Landscape and Desire in Michael Ondaatje’s The English Patient and Peeters’ and Schuiten’s The Invisible Frontier” Archaeopteryx: The Newman Journal of Ideas. 1.1 (2012), 194-205.
• The Man Who Loved Alien Landscapes (novel), Dog Star Press, release date: June 2014 [More Information]
• “Description on the Edge: The Sublime in Science Fiction.” Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction. Michael Arnzen, Heidi Ruby Miller, eds. Terra Alta, WV: Headline Books, 2011. 177-181.
• 29 poems in Eye Contact, the literary magazine of Seton Hill University, 1991-2008
• “Space Museum: Heroism, Conformity, and the Conflicts of an Age,” Americana: Readings in Popular Culture, Leslie Wilson, ed., Los Angeles: Press Americana, 2006, 123-134
• “The Universe in a Frame: The Domestic Sublime in Adam Strange and Fifties SF,” Extrapolation 47.2 (Summer 2006), 237-248
• “Touching the Night Sky: ‘Progressing’ the 50s in Strange Adventures and Mystery In Space,” Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts, 13.4 (2003), 389-402
• “The Crystal Man” (short story), Eye Contact, the literary magazine of Seton Hill University, Fall 2002
• “The Portfolio at Seton Hill College,” Student Learning: A Central Focus for Institutions of Higher Education, Alverno College, 2001
• Science, Myth, and the Fictional Creation of Alien Worlds, Ann Arbor, Michigan: UMI Research Press,1985

Awards

• Caritas Christi Award, 20 years of service, Seton Hill University

Organizations

• International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts
• Popular Culture Association
• American Association of Writing Programs

Presentations

• “Description in Science Fiction: Four Methods and Red Mars,” International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts,” March, 2011. Orlando, FL
• “’Sensory Brinkmanship’ and ‘Dangerous Colors’ in Andre Norton.” International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts. March, 2009. Orlando, FL
• “Description on the Edge: The Rhetorical Sublime in Science Fiction,” presented at the International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts, March, 2008
• “Love Is a Place: Landscape and Desire in Michael Ondaatje’s The English Patient and Peeters’ and Schuiten’s The Invisible Frontier,” presented at the International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts, March, 2006
• “Outer Space, Superheroes, and Planetary: Three Aspects of the Sublime,” presented at the International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts, March, 2005
• “The Universe in a Frame: The Domestic Sublime in Adam Strange and Fifties SF,” presented at the International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts, March, 2004
• “’The Flower Gems of Pluto’: Gemstone Fascination in 1950s Science-Fiction Comics and Prose,” presented at the International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts, March, 2003
• “Curriculum for the Millenium Generation: The Portfolio,” part of a panel presentation at the National Conference of the Association for General and Liberal Studies, Pittsburgh, 2001
• “Flash Gordon: The Fifties Version by Mac Raboy,” Popular Culture Association Conference, Philadelphia, 2001
• “Space Museum: Heroism and Identity,” International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, 2001
• “Adam Strange: A Scientific Romance,” International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, 2000
• “Touching the Night Sky: Strange Adventures and Mystery In Space,” International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, 1999
• “Teaching the Graphic Novel,” International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts, Florida, 1997

Achievements

• Guest Writer, panel participant, International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts, Orlando, FL., Mar., 2019
• Guest Writer, panel participant, Confluence, Pittsburgh, PA, Aug., 2018
• Guest Writer, panel participant, International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts, Orlando, FL., Mar., 2018
• Guest Writer, panel participant, Confluence, Pittsburgh, PA, July, 2017
• Guest Writer, panel participant, Concoction, Cleveland, OH., March, 2017
• Guest Writer, panel participant, Confluence, Cranberry, PA, July, 2016
• Guest Writer, panel participant, International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts, Orlando, FL., Mar., 2016
• Guest Writer, panel participant, Concoction, Cleveland, OH., March, 2016
• Invited speaker, Greensburg College Club, Greensburg Garden Center, Oct., 2015
• Guest Writer, panel participant, Confluence, Cranberry, PA, July, 2015
• Guest Writer, panel participant, International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts, Orlando, FL., Mar., 2015
• Guest Writer, panel participant, Confluence, Pittsburgh, PA, July, 2014
• Professor-of-the-Year, Seton Hill University, presented keynote speech at Spring Honors Convocation, May, 2014
• Director, Master of Fine Arts in Writing Popular Fiction, Seton Hill University, 2008-present
• Guest Writer, Context20, Columbus, Ohio, Sept. 2007