I grew up in the Maryland suburbs of DC, where my mother still lives--in the planned city of Greenbelt. I have one brother and six sisters, three nephews and six nieces. I have a Ph.D. in English: Rhetoric and 20th Century American Literature. For the past 30 years I have taught undergraduate college English courses: composition (writing), literature, and film. Right now I am teaching courses online. My love is music, especially the blues. I am heavily involved in the production of the world-acclaimed Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, which is held every July 4 weekend on the banks of the Mississippi River in Davenport, Iowa. I love to collect and wear hats, and I've become kniown for my hats. In the photo, I'm wearing a hat that my sister Helen got for me at a Renaissance fair and which I decorated further with more feathers and pins.