Brief
Author Autobiography
After receiving a graduate degree in Communication Studies from the
University of Colorado in 1979, I've spent many years researching and
writing on themes in philosophy of language, rhetorical theory, and
communication and media studies. Inspired by the works of Kenneth Burke
and Jacques Derrida, my writings, especially in Cult of the
Kill, highlight the complex relationships between
language, interpretation, conflict, and violence.
Prior
to the graduate degree, in the early 1970s at the University of
California at Santa Barbara, I studied Nietzsche and Heidegger under W.
B. Macomber. With the publication in 1967 of Anatomy of
Disillusion: Martin Heidegger’s Notion of Truth,
Macomber became one of America's most highly regarded Heidegger
scholars. During this period I helped compile and edit a volume of
Macomber's lectures entitled Love and Culture
(for contents and text click here)
which was used as a text for the Introduction to Philosophy course.
Macomber is retired and currently resides in Redlands, California. See
the "Eulogies" link above for a recollection of the life and work of Macomber.
While
at UCSB I also studied under John Macksoud, a prominent Kenneth
Burke scholar, who eventually served as my supervisor for an
independent major in Communication. After having read
Macksoud’s
dissertation (a penetrating analysis of Burke’s work relevant
to
the theme of oral interpretation) Burke is reported to have said to
Macksoud on the occasion of their first meeting: “You are the
only one who has understood me.” Although doubtless something
of
an exaggeration, this exceptional compliment directly from Burke
indicates the unusual admiration Burke had for Macksoud—whose
work is discussed in Chapter Five of Cult of the Kill.
Due to Macksoud's premature retirement from university life (after
several years at the State University of New York at Binghamton), only
a few in academic circles are acquainted with his original and
provocative work. Unfortunately, John died on January 7th of 2005. See
the “Eulogies” link above for a
recollection of
the life and work of Macksoud.
At
the University of Colorado, I continued studying Kenneth Burke and rhetorical theory under Wayne Brockreide and wrote a
thesis on Burke under Brockreide’s direction entitled Kenneth
Burke’s Dramatism in Perspective. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to meet Burke during a seminar at the University of
Washington in the 1970s. Also at the University of Colorado, I studied
existentialism under Hazel Barnes and furthered my writing and research
on Burke with the help of prominent Burke scholar Phillip K. Tompkins.
In
the 1990s I focused attention on the work of Jacques Derrida. During
this period I was able to meet with Derrida on two trips to the
University of California at
Irvine where we talked about points of interpretation of his work
relevant to an
essay I had been working on comparing Derrida and Heidegger (a version
of which is published as
Chapter Two in Cult of the Kill). Derrida died on
October 7th of 2004. A great deal of misunderstanding plagues
commentary and interpretation of Derrida’s work (and life).
What I have written about Derrida
under the “Eulogies” link
represents one
contribution toward clarifying
the significance and value of his work. For further discussion and
analysis of the misunderstandings of Derrida's work see my commentary
at "Demonizing Derrida and Deconstruction" under the "Essays" link
above (part of which was published in a letter to Skeptic in
the summer 2006 issue) or click here. Also,
in relation to Ken Wilber's writings, see two discussions of Derrida's
work listed under the "Essays" link above.
My
most recent book project is Our Faith in Evil: Melodrama
and the Effects of Entertainment Violence released by McFarland Press in March, 2006. As an
undergraduate at UCSB I had hoped to transfer to UCLA to become a film
major. Unfortunately, due to the great demand at the time, there was a
three year waiting list to get into this program. But I continued to
have a great interest in film and the book Our Faith in Evil
brings together this interest with my background in communication and
media studies. It offers a comprehensive examination of entertainment
violence—featuring especially film—and the
potential
cultural and psychological effects. See the “Books”
link at the top of this page for further information or click here.
Additional
recent projects include departures from nonfiction
writing—a docudrama novel and a screenplay—both set
during
the Vietnam War protest era at the University of California at Santa
Barbara. The tension between violent and nonviolent forms of protest
emerges as a major theme and the ground for much of the action in these
two works. For an excerpt from the novel version of this project click
on the “Fiction” link at the top of this page or
click here.
My
preoccupation with film also included an interest in photography.
The pictures at the top of the website were all taken by me in various
travels around the United States, with the exception of the one on the
mountain at the Winter Park ski area. This shot was taken by long-time
friend and high school pal Don Firestone on a visit to Colorado in the
1990s. For several years in the 1980s my photography hobby expanded to
include electrophotography—also called Kirlian photography.
Click
on the “Outré” link at the top of the
page for more
on this unusual and controversial photographic process or
click here.
Curriculum
Vitae
1998-Present Writer
During this period projects include:
1) a novel (unpublished manuscript),The Bank of Amerika Marshmallow Roast, based on events surrounding the burning
of the Bank of America in Isla
Vista in 1970
2) a screenplay by the same name
3) a book of essays on language and culture entitled Cult of
the Kill: Traditional Metaphysics of Rhetoric, Truth, and Violence in a Postmodern World
4) a nonfiction work on violent entertainment entitled Our
Faith in Evil: Melodrama and the Effects of Entertainment Violence
1979-1998 Administrator and Manager
This period included work in various capacities for Kinko’s
Corporation as accountant, office manager, store manager, and
administrator for the Kinko’s Regional Headquarters in
Boulder,
Colorado. This period also included the extensive pursuit of academic
interests, which encompassed writing several academic essays on
language and rhetoric, maintaining contacts with academic friends
throughout the country, and regularly attending conventions sponsored
by the National Communication Association and regional Communication
Associations
1977-1979 Graduate Student, University of
Colorado, Boulder
Completed work on Master’s thesis and commenced other
academic writing projects
1974-1977 Teaching Assistant/Graduate Student,
University of Colorado, Boulder
Completed course work for a Master’s degree in Communication
and
taught several semesters as a teaching assistant for the Communication
101 course
1968-1972 Student at the University of California,
Santa Barbara
Completed work for a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication
Honors
and Degrees
1968
State Scholarship, University of California
1968 Regent Scholarship, University of California
1972 B.A., Communication, University of California, Santa Barbara
1979 M.A., Communication, University of Colorado, Boulder
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