NOTES ON CONTRIBUTORS

Matthew R. Bardowell <matthew.bardowell@mobap.edu> is Associate Professor of English at Missouri Baptist University, where he teaches British literature, world literature, and composition. His research centers on Old Norse and Old English literature as well as the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien, and his recent scholarship engages questions concerning emotion and aesthetics. His work appears in Renascence: Essays on Values in Literature, Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts, Mythlore, and The Ashgate Encyclopedia of Literary and Cinematic Monsters. He is currently co-editing (with John Han and Clark Triplett) Certainty and Ambiguity: Essays on the Moral Imagination of Mystery Fiction (forthcoming in 2023). Bardowell holds a Ph.D. in English from Saint Louis University.

Jane Beal <jbeal@laverne.edu>: See page 3.

Rebecca Duke <Rebecca.Duke@mobap.edu> is an adjunct English instructor at several universities and colleges as well as a stay-at-home mother. Rebecca enjoys engaging students in both the academic and creative writing processes inside the classroom. In addition to writing lesson plans that encourage students to develop their voice and to record meaningful detail within their essays, Rebecca has studied creative writing within her undergraduate and graduate career in English studies and has written and produced a short play at Bob Jones University. Rebecca personally keeps a poetry journal by her side during travels, Bible study, and when recording simple observations about daily life. Poetry challenges and retreats with friends and colleagues, as well as quiet Saturday mornings with her family, inspire her to fill her poetry journals. She has served as a guest editor of Fireflies’ Light: A Magazine of Short Poems.

John J. Han <john.han@mobap.edu> is a Professor of English and Creative Writing and Chair of the Humanities Division at Missouri Baptist University. Han is the author, editor, co-editor, or translator of 31 books, including Wise Blood: A Re-Consideration (Rodopi, 2011), The Final Crossing: Death and Dying in Literature (with C. Triplett; Peter Lang, 2015), Worlds Gone Awry: Essays on Dystopian Fiction (with C. Triplett and A. Anthony; McFarland, 2018), and dawn returns: The Haiku Society of America 2022 Members’ Anthology (New York: HSA, 2022). He has published numerous critical essays, book reviews, and reference entries, as well as more than 2,200 poems. His recent poems appeared in Frogpond, Modern Haiku, Wales Haiku Journal, World Haiku Review, and other periodicals. He earned his M.A. from Kansas State University and his Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Cordell P. Schulten <Cordell.SchultenJD@mobap.edu> is an adjunct professor at Missouri Baptist University. Prior to his return to MBU, he served as a teacher, the Dean of Students, and a staffer at Valor International Scholars (VIS) in

Anseong, Korea. He has also served as a guest lecturer at L’Abri Fellowship in Korea, a teacher at Heritage Classical Christian Academy, and the English Ministry pastor at the Korean Presbyterian Church in Kirkwood, Missouri. From 2009 through 2014, he taught American Law at Handong Global University in Pohang, Korea. He previously taught at Missouri Baptist University (1995-2005) and Fontbonne University (2005-2009). Before teaching, he practiced law for ten years. He earned his M.A. in Theological Studies from Covenant Theological Seminary in 2004 and his J.D. from Saint Louis University School of Law in 1986. He has also studied Theology and Culture at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. He and his wife Sandy have been married for 43 years. They have four grown children and five grandchildren. He is the author of Life Abroad @ Handong (2017) and Le Chemin: Wholly Following the Path of Jesus (2019).

Todd Sukany <tsukany@sbuniv.edu>, a Pushcart nominee, lives in Pleasant Hope, Missouri, with his wife of over 40 years. He holds degrees from Southwest Baptist University and Southeast Missouri State University. His work has appeared in Ancient Paths, Cantos: A Literary and Arts Journal, Cave Region Review, The Christian Century, Intégrité: A Faith and Learning Journal, and The Ekphrastic Review. Sukany co-authored a book of poetry, The First Book of Mirrors, with Raymond Kirk. A native of Michigan, Sukany stays busy running, playing music, loving three children, their spouses, six grandchildren, and caring for three rescue dogs, and two feral cats.

Mark Tappmeyer <mtappmeyer@sbuniv.edu> is a retired English professor from Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri, where he taught his entire career and served as the department chair for twenty-four years. He observes that while Kansas City Royal George Brett won major league batting titles in three decades, he taught at SBU in five decades, though, it should be noted, without batting titles. While on sabbatical in 2001-2003, he and his English professor wife Linda taught English in Dalian, China. Currently the Tappmeyers live in the Indianapolis area. He has written Wisecracking, a book of poetry published by SBU Press, and has had poems published in Disciple Journal, Intégrité, Cantos, Calliope, St. Anthony Messenger, Penwood Review, Publication of the Missouri Philological Association, and Tipton Poetry Journal.

C. Clark Triplett <Clark.Triplett@mobap.edu> is Emeritus Dean of Graduate Studies and Professor of Psychology at Missouri Baptist University. He served as co-editor (with John Han) of The Final Crossing: Death and Dying in Literature (Peter Lang, 2015) and as co-editor (with John Han and Ashley Anthony) of Worlds Gone Awry: Essays on Dystopian Fiction (McFarland, 2018). Triplett is the author of many articles and book reviews published in Intégrité, and his poems have appeared in Cantos, Fireflies’ Light, and the Asahi Haikuist Network. He earned a B.A. from Southwest Baptist University, an M.Div. from Covenant Theological Seminary, an M.S.Ed. from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, and a Ph.D. from Saint Louis University.

John Zheng <zheng@mvsu.edu> is the editor of African American Haiku: Cultural Visions, The Other World of Richard Wright, Sonia Sanchez’s Poetic Spirit through Haiku, and Conversations with Dana Gioia. His essays have been published in journals including Paiduma, Southern Quarterly, Japan Studies Association Journal, and The Explicator. He teaches English at Mississippi Valley State University, where he serves as editor for two literary and scholarly journals: Valley Voices: A Literary Review and Journal of Ethnic American Literature.