TAMPA, FL, June 20, 2022 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present Prof. Kathryn VanSpanckeren, PhD, with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Dr. VanSpanckeren celebrates many years' experience in her professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes she has accrued in her field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Kathryn Van Spanckeren grew up on a remote ranch in California and developed a passion for reading. A scholarship student, she graduated from U.C. Berkeley magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1967 with a double major in Folklore and Mythology and English, M.A.s from Brandeis and Harvard and a Ph.D. from Harvard followed, all in English and American Literature. At Harvard she studied poetry writing with Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell, and published poetry in the Advocate and travel journalism in Let's Go. She trekked to Nepal to record Tibetan folklore in 1970 and 1972. While teaching at Wheaton (MA) 1974-79, she co-authored books on John Gardener and Margaret Atwood and co-founded the Margaret Atwood Society. From 1979 to 1981 she joined the Coordinating Council of Literary Magazines (later the CLMP, part of the NEA) in New York City, becoming its Acting Director.
As Fulbright Professor of American Literature 1982-84 at Gadjah Mada University in Indonesia, Van Spanckeren wrote a short updated history of U.S. literature for international readers, including works by women and multiethnic writers. She tested it on international students as a Fellow at the East West Center (Hawaii) in 1985. Her Outline of American Literature (1994, rev ed 2006) was published, translated into numerous languages, and maintained online by the U.S. Department of State. It became a free, accessible resource for readers everywhere.
Professor Emerita at the University of Tampa, Van Spanckeren was Chair of English and Writing in 1994, and Chair of the (creative) Writing Program and literary readings series for decades. She also lectured in Australia, the Philippines, Thailand, Myanmar, Portugal, Egypt, Tunisia, and Argentina. From 1993-95 she was Academic Director of the Summer Institute in American Literature, which brought 20 international professors to study in the U.S. She published many poems and essays on literature and folklore. The recipient of four Who's Who Among America's Teachers awards and numerous awards for scholarship, she is grateful to her teachers and loving supportive family.
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