Mark Allister

Mark Allister is a tall, lanky, sometimes-bearded sometimes-not idealist in the American grain. His interest in American Conversations comes in part because of his interdisciplinary work; he belongs to the faculty in three departments - English, American Studies, and Environmental Studies. Mark loves his family and he loves the land. He lives with his wife, Jan, daughter Betsy, 16, and son Nat, 13, in a beautiful house he designed and helped to build. Deer roam by his picture window winter mornings, and come summer, he plants an ambitious garden.

Mark offers courses in American literature, 19th- and 20th-century poetry, men's studies, and popular culture. He enjoys merging personal and professional life when he teaches a course on literature and the environment, and this scholarly interest culminated in the recent publication of his book, *Refiguring the Map of Sorrow: Nature Writing and Autobiography.* He's written and lectured on musicians Bruce Springsteen and Jackson Browne, and is recently intrigued by contemporary detective novelists, including James Lee Burke, Tony Hillerman, and Sue Grafton. Mark is currently Director of the College Writing Program, Director of American Studies, and Director of American Conversations.