Gail B. Griffin

I was born in Detroit in 1950, a place and time I've always regarded as almost mythically significant. Educated by lots of good and bad teachers, by the civil rights movement, by the Beatles, by the '60's, by a formidable mother, and by 19th-century novels galore. Came to Kalamazoo College in 1977 with the intention of moving on in a couple years, and I'm still there, teaching literature, nonfiction writing, and women's studies.

My first two books are out of print but available here on Amazon or through me. CALLING is the story of coming of age as a feminist teacher, and Carolyn Heilbrun called it the best account of the academic patriarchy that she'd read, bless her heart. SEASON OF THE WITCH is a more motley collection of personal essays. My new one, "THE EVENTS OF OCTOBER": MURDER-SUICIDE ON A SMALL CAMPUS (September 2010, Wayne State U. Press), is the result of four years of research into the murder of a woman student by her former boyfriend in 1999. Part "immersion journalism," part memoir, part analysis, it's my attempt to place the tragedy squarely on the spectrum of violence against women and to understand how and why such "events" happen. It was thoroughly exhausting to write and I'm proud of it.

In my spare time I read a lot, watch movies, contemplate my cat, and reflect on the brilliance and beauty of Johnny Depp. I also write and publish poetry and brief nonfiction, a form that really interests me.