Richard Lee Zuras
Professor of English & Creative Writing/Film Studies Advisor
College of Arts and Sciences 64 Lombard St. University of Maine at Presque Isle Presque Isle, ME 04769 PO Box 247 phone (207) 764-5160 (H) Presque Isle, ME 04769 (207) 768-9403 (O) e-mail [email protected]
Education
McNeese State University, Lake Charles, Louisiana
M.F.A. in Creative Writing (60 hour program)
Thesis: Auspices of Love: Stories
Committee: Professors Robert Olen Butler, Carol Wood, and John Wood
M.A. in English (Literature)
George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia
B.A. in English (with writing emphasis)
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Publications
The Bastard Year: A Novel (Brandylane Press, Virginia. March 2012)
Forthcoming Publications
The Honeymoon Corruption: A Novel (Brandylane Press, Virginia. Summer/Fall 2014)
Publications in Fiction
“Four Daily Do’s” in Coe Review 2009, volume 39, #2, pp. 1-6 “Runaway” in StoryQuarterly volume 41, 2005 pp. 432-443 “The Kidnapping” Finalist, Glimmer Train Short Story Award for New Writers Fall 2005 “Your Father and Mine” in Chicago Quarterly Review Winter 2004, Volume 7, pp. 15-24 “A Photo of my Dad” in The Best of The First Line: The First Three Years, (Anthology) 2003, pp. 39-40 “Gestures” in South Dakota Review 40th Anniversary Issue, Spring/Summer 2003, Volume 41, Numbers 1 & 2, pp. 64-76 “Outside Beach” in Weber Studies Spring 2003, Volume 20, Number 2, pp. 94-104 “The Wrestlers of Evangeline Parish” in Big Muddy Spring 2003, Volume 3, Issue 1, pp. 31-36 “Selling Off” in Lake Effect Spring 2003, Volume 7, pp. 68-76 “So Mother Left Father” in The Laurel Review Spring 2002, Volume 26, Number 2, pp. 81-92 “The Clipping of Maynard Jax” in Passages North Winter/Spring 2002, Volume 23, Number 1, pp. 29-34 “Physician Referral, Karen Speaking” in Yemassee Winter/Spring 2001, Volume 8, Number 2, pp. 26-34 “The Meter is Running: Confessions of a Cabbie” in S.L.U.G. fest Ltd. Winter/Spring 2000-2001, Volume 11, Numbers 3, 4, pp. 45-47 “1954” in Xavier Review Winter 2000, Volume 20, Number 2, pp. 100-103 “A Photo of my Dad” in The First Line Spring 2000, Volume 2, Number 1, p. 9 “The Last Drive Out” in North Country Spring 1999, The Resurrection Issue, pp. 40-45 “Tonight, I’ll Tell Him I’m Invisible” in Arena Spring 1998, Volume XXIX, pp. 25-29 “With These Words” in Arena Spring 1998, Volume XXIX, pp. 30-35 “Absence” in Rock Springs Review Summer 1997, Volume 1, Issue 3, pp. 14-18 “Growing Up Pong” in The Review Summer 1997, pp. 83-86
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Publications in Poetry “Students at a Poetry Reading” UpCountry Spring 2014 “Shallow Grave” in Poetry Nook September 2013 “Northern Maine, October 2” in UpCountry Spring 2013 “Fontinel” in Red Rock Review Summer 2005 Issue 17 “House Hunting” in Confrontation Spring/Summer 2005, Volume 90/91, pp. 300-301 “The Recycling Men” in Futures Magazine Spring 2002, Volume V, Issue XXV, p. 103 “First Christmas Without My Father” in Milkwood Review (on-line) Fall 2001 “What Chekhov Said About a Man, a Woman, and an Ashtray” in Jabberwock Review Spring 2001, Volume 22.2, p. 22 “Feike Feikema” in South Dakota Review Fall 2000, Volume 38, Number 3, pp. 12-13 “Sixty Degrees Latitude” in North Country Spring 2000, p. 58
Publications in Film
Box-Office reviews of: Public Enemies, Doubt, Gran Torino, Inglorious Basterds as well as two dozen other films at www.fusedwire.com Oct. 2008-Oct. 2009
Fellowships and Awards
2012 UMPI Sabbatical (The Honeymoon Corruption)
2008-2009 UMPI Distinguished Teacher Award (sole/awarded by Student Senate)
2008-2009 UMPI Trustee Professor (Teaching in High Schools/Film Work)
2008 Who’s Who in American Education
2006 Who’s Who in America
2006 UMPI Sabbatical (The Bastard Year)
2005 Who’s Who in Education
2005 Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers
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2004 Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers
2004 Bread Loaf Fiction Scholarship (Bernard O’Keefe) Full competitive scholarship to waive conference tuition
2004 Wesleyan Fiction Scholarship Partial competitive scholarship to offset conference tuition
2001 Yemassee Writers Award for Fiction (Cash Prize)
1998 Perfect Words Scholarship Recipient Full competitive scholarship to waive William Faulkner Writing Conference fees (class)
1997-1998 McNeese Foundation Graduate Fellowship Recipient Year long competitive fellowship for outstanding graduate work
Readings
2013 Upcountry/poetry (University of Maine at Presque Isle)
2012 The Bastard Year (University of Maine at Presque Isle)
2007 Novel in manuscript (University of Maine at Presque Isle)
2004 Scholar reading/Story & Blue Parlor/Poetry (Bread Loaf Writers Conference)
2004 Impromptu campus readings/Story & Poetry (Wesleyan Writers Conference)
2000 Opening Reader UND Writing Conference (University of North Dakota)
1998 MFA Degree Reading (McNeese State University)
University Teaching Experience: Creative Writing, Comp., Film, and Literature Courses
I had the sole responsibility for all courses listed below (English/Art (film))
University of Maine at Presque Isle 2001 – present Professor of English and Creative Writing/Film Studies Advisor (Art/Eng)
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416 Great Directors:Coen Brothers/Tim Burton Designed two film courses that traced the oeuvre of the Coen Brothers/Tim Burton through the matrix of auteur theory
403 Film Seminar Designed a course that studies the major sub-genres of Horror including the slasher film, the zombie film, and the monster film (emphasis on 70s films) and a course that explored the highs and lows of Pixar from 1995- 2013 with a focus on narrative & technology
376 Native American Narratives (Hollywood’s Indian) Designed a film course exploring the image(s) of Native Americans throughout history
369 Religion and Film (Topics in Religion) Designed film course that explores the cultural/spiritual effects of Hollywood & Religion
358 Studies in American Literature Before 1900 Designed with a focus on the emergence of American Realism/Naturalism (short fiction)
316 Contemporary Film Designed course on the phenomenon of Cult Film in American Cinema and course on advanced VFX and Sound
314 Screenwriting Designed courses in the writing of feature length screenplays/short films/adaptations and television pilots
312 The Writing of Fiction Instructive/workshop courses in the writing of fiction—emphasis on literary story/publishing
311 The Writing of Poetry Instructive/workshop courses in the writing of poetry both free-verse and formal
310 Studies in Poetry Course in the study of poetry elements and various schools of criticism
308 Studies in Short Fiction Course in the study of short story elements and various schools of criticism
211 The Writing of Fiction and Poetry Instructive/workshop courses in the fundamentals of creative writing
H201 Honors Advanced College Composition Seminar style version of Advanced Composition with focus on media
201/121 Advanced College Composition Designed and taught several sections of research/position-taking courses that incorporate a broad range of issues across the college curriculum, often including Film, Business, Sociology, Psychology,
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Science, Ethics, Education, and Criminal Justice / Designed and taught several sections centered around our common culture with focus on student response/drafting process
Phi 151 Introduction to Philosophy Designed a course that integrates Seinfeld with Aristotle, Kierkegaard, Zizek, Butler, West, etc.
H151 Honors Introduction to Literature Designed and taught close reading courses that vigorously applied criticism to Drama, Fiction, Essay and Poetry
151 Introduction to Literature Designed and taught several sections of literature encompassing Drama, Poetry, and Fiction, as well as introduction to various modes of criticism
116 Introduction to Film Designed and taught courses in the analysis of film with an emphasis on genres/principles/criticism/response/& especially components
101 Composition I Designed and taught several sections of beginning college composition emphasizing a diversity of readings as well as the drafting process
University of North Dakota 1998 – 2001 Ph. D. level Graduate Teaching Assistant
305 Creative Writing Designed and taught courses combining the writing of fiction and poetry
224 Introduction to Fiction Designed and taught several sections in the principles of reading fiction
125 Business and Technical Writing Designed and taught several sections in the writing of workplace documents and workplace reports
120 Advanced Composition Designed and taught several sections of topic- centered/research composition
110 Beginning Composition Designed and taught several sections of beginning composition
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McNeese State University 1995 – 1998 M.F.A. level Graduate Teaching Assistant
102 Final Composition Designed and taught several sections of humanities- centered final composition/research
101 Beginning Composition Designed and taught several sections of beginning composition
090 Developmental Writing/Lab Designed and taught several sections of 5 credit developmental writing focusing on sentence combining, drafting, and computer-assisted programs such as Daedalus and Expressways
Administrative and University Service Experience
University of Maine at Presque Isle
Katharine O’Brien Memorial Poetry Committee Committee Member (sole) Fall 2001-ongoing
Library Committee Fall 2013-ongoing
Advisor/Creator: Film Studies Program Fall 2008 (inception)-ongoing
Criminal Justice Search Committee AY 2014
Green Committee Committee Member 2007-2010
English Department Search Committee Committee Member AY 2008-2009 AY 2007-2008 AY 2005-2006 AY 2004-2005
Academic Standards Committee Committee Member 2004-2008
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Library Committee Committee Member 2002-2006
University of North Dakota
Business and Technical Writing Assessment Leading Committee Member Fall 2000
McNeese State University
Teachers for a Brighter Future Conference Assistant to the Director Summer 1997
Editorial and Journalism Experience
Faculty Columnist 2002-2005/2009 University Times (UMPI)
Fiction Reader 1998 – 1999 North Country University of North Dakota
Co-Editor 1994 – 1995 Sniper Logic University of Colorado at Boulder
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REFERENCES
Prof. Robert Olen Butler Frances Eppes Professor/Michael Shaara Chair in Creative Writing Florida State University Tallahassee, Florida (850) 664-0238 Office [email protected]
Dr. Michael Beard Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor University of North Dakota Grand Forks, North Dakota (701) 777-2775 [email protected]
Dr. Raymond Rice Interim Provost/VPAA (Chair of Arts & Sciences) Professor of English University of Maine at Presque Isle (207) 768-9416 [email protected]
Dr. Mike Knopp Associate Professor of Chemistry University of Maine at Presque Isle (207) 768-9483 [email protected]