Al Zolynas, PhD

Specialties and Interests

• Poetry
• Creative Writing
• Writing for the Professions 
• World Literature
• Post-Colonial Literature
• British and American Literature
• Sacred Literatures of the World
• Gender

Programs and Research Projects

Courses Taught

• Writing for the Professions
• Poetry Across Cultures
• The International Novel
• Poetry Workshop
• Creative Writing
• Masterpieces of British and American Literature
• Post-Colonial Literature
• Sacred Literature of the World
• The First Year Experience
• Composition
• Critical Approaches to Literature
• Shakespeare

Selected Publications

• The New Physics, Wesleyan University Press, 1979
• Men Of Our Time; An Anthology of Contemporary Male Poetry in America, University of Georgia Press, 1992 (co-editor with Fred Moramarco)
• Under Ideal Conditions, Laterthanever Press, 1994
• The Same Air, Intercultural Forum, 1997
• The Poetry of Men’s Lives:  An International Anthology (co-editor with Fred Moramarco), The University of Georgia Press, 2004.
• Numerous poems published in anthologies, magazines, journals, and on the Web.

Professional Activities

• Attended and presented at a variety of international conferences in recent years, including: First-Year Experience International Conference, York, England, 1995 (delivered a presentation on USIU's first year experience program)
• 3rd International Conference on Religion, Literature, and the Arts, Sydney, Australia, University of Sydney, 1996 (was one of the keynote speakers and also gave a poetry reading)
• The Rhetorics of Masculinity Conference, Seville, Spain, 2000 (gave a presentation and poetry reading with my colleague, Fred Moramarco, from our anthology
• Was an invited presenter at the Sydney Writers’ Festival, May 2005 (read poems and was interviewed for The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Radio.

Professional Licenses, Certifications, and Honors

• AWARDS: My collection of poetry, Under Ideal Conditions, won the San Diego Book Awards prize for "Best Poetry" in 1994
• President's Award for Excellence in Research, 1994-95 (USIU)
• President's Award for Excellence in Teaching, 1999-2000 (USIU)
• The Poetry of Men’s Lives: An International Poetry Anthology was awarded the San Diego Book Award for best poetry anthology, 2005
• PhD, University of Utah, 1973 Creative Writing and English Literature
• MA, University of Utah, 1969 English and comparative literature
• BA, University of Illinois, 1966 English; minor in Psychology and Philosophy

Interests and Hobbies

• Zen
• Travel
• Golf