The Prose Reader: Essays for Thinking, Reading, and Writing - Softcover

In her own words, this is how Kim Flachmann describes her academic life story and devotion to students and teaching: ""I am a St. Louis kid who moved west and fell in love with California. My passion is teaching writing and helping people understand its importance in our society today."" " "I earned my B.A. in English at Washington University in my hometown and then started teaching at Morton College in Chicago, where I began a Developmental Writing program in 1969. Three years later, I came to California State University, Bakersfield, where I currently direct the Writing Program. I enjoy teaching writing through my books and my classes."" " "I can't imagine any mission more important to the success of a society than literacy. Teaching people who to understand words they encounter and how to express their most cherished ideas can relieve their personal frustration, rejuvenate their self-esteem, provide them with skills they need to succeed, and ultimately raise the quality of all our lives. I feel truly privileged to be involved in such a life-changing passion.""

School Affiliations: The author is a Professor of English at California State University, Bakersfield, where he is also Director of University Honors Programs, Head Judo and Self-Defense Instructor, and Assistant Coach of the Women's Tennis Team. For the past twenty summers, he's also been Company Dramaturg for the Tony-Award-winning Utah Shakespearean Festival in Cedar City, Utah, where he's been on the design teams for over ninety professional productions of Shakespeare's plays. Since he has a doctorate in English literature from the University of Chicago, over thirty years' experience teaching the plays in the college classroom, many publications to his credit, and twenty years' service as a dramaturg in professional theatre, he has the expertise necessary to bring these plays to life for today's generation of students.

Honors and Awards: He's won a number of teaching awards, the most prestigious of which have been Carnegie Foundation United States Professor of the Year (1995), Outstanding Professor for the twenty-campus California State University System (1993), a $20,000 CSU Wang Family Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching (1999), and a recent California Senate Resolution honoring him for "twenty-two years of excellence in teaching" (2004).