Mark Christopher Allister

I grew up near San Diego, where I spent my days, when I wasn’t reading or studying or doing things with my family, playing outdoor sports or hanging out at the beach. I attended college at California State University, Chico, where I majored in English and History, and then moved further up the coast to do PhD work in English at the University of Washington in Seattle. After being a West Coast guy all that time, I came to the Midwest in 1986, taking a literature teaching job at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. Over time, my research and teaching interests widened, and I began teaching in the Environmental Studies and American Studies departments. In 2014 I began writing about music, publishing a book on a wonderful, quirky, and inspiring indie band, Cloud Cult (the book is 'Chasing the Light: The Cloud Cult Story'). That led to writing gigs with PopMatters, reviewing albums, and a weekly radio gig at St. Olaf, "Prof Rock with Mark Allister."

My latest book, appearing spring of 2019, is about a different inspiring group, female athletes who play softball. I cover the 2018 season, from opening tournaments to the championship game in Division I. Though the arc of my book is a narrative, I embed discussion of various cultural matters relating to women's sports.