J. E. Robinson

J. E. Robinson was born October 8, 1965, in Alton, Illinois, to R.Preston and Joyce L(Gill) Robinson. '''EDUCATION:'''BA in Classics, Howard University, 1987MA, Ancient History, University of Missouri-Columbia, 1989additional graduate study at the University of Chicago (Byzantine history, 1989-1990)'''CAREER:'''History Instructor, various colleges in the St. Louis Area, 1991-present; taught Cultural Heritage, 2007-2014 and currently is Assistant Professor of History at the St. Louis College of Pharmacy.Robinson is formerly, creator, producer, and host of "''Eavesdropping''," a half-hour conversation, WBGZ-AM, Alton, 1993-2004 … he interviewed William Least-Heat Moon and Wole Soyinka, among others.'''PUBLICATIONS:'''Robinson began producing and publishing poetry as a college student in 1983; stopped working in poetry in 1986 to concentrate upon fiction. resumed writing poetry in 1997, producing "Five Verses," which has appeared widely, including in the public radio podcast "Calling America." since 1997, poems have appeared widely.Since 2002, he has been producing personal essays, mostly on schizophrenia, from which he suffers. in 2005, the essay "Notes from a Janitor's Closet," published in KARAMU, received the Illinois Arts Council Literary Award; essays have appeared widely, and have received a Pushcart nomination.''SKIP MACALESTER'' (2006) took seven years to publish; it was named a "Paperback Pick" by the American Booksellers Association in summer 2006. A general, and prevailing, interpretation is that the book is autobiographical in some way, despite the author's protestations to the contrary.The play in one-act ''MOTHER'S DAY'' was presented at Actors' Theatre in Louisville, Kentucky, as part of the Juneteenth Jamboree of New Plays in June 2005. A reviewer called it "a deft comedy."