Mike Mattison - Biography

Mike Mattison is an Assistant Professor of English and Director of the Writing Center at Boise State University.

Truth be told, I'm probably working in a writing center because I had cancer. When I was a graduate student at Iowa State University, I was undergoing chemotherapy, so the English department there was trying to make things a little easier on me. Instead of having me teach two courses in one term, they asked if I would teach one and work in their writing center to make up the other hours. (Yes, there's an assumption there that writing center work is less strenuous than classroom teaching.) Little did they know what they would start.

After a couple of years out of school (and after getting rid of the cancer), I went for my doctorate at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, where I again worked in a writing center. During my time there, I had a chance to become the Assistant Director, and took it. That led to my applying for the job at Boise State, where I was fortunate enough to take over the Writing Center from Rick Leahy, the man who founded the Center and then ran it for twenty-three years. It's been a pleasure for me to work with the writers and consultants at Boise State for the past several years.

As for the non-academic stuff: I'm a Taurus who drives a Subaru. I was born and bred in Ohio, lived in Kentucky and New York, and passed through Texas and Wyoming. I'm a big fan of Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Elton John, and Tom Waits. I tend to pick up pennies left lying on the sidewalk, and I also toss salt over my shoulder if it spills. I appreciate the collaboration of water, malt, hops, and yeast, especially on a warm day, and I think the only bad pun is one that goes unuttered.

Email: [email protected]
Web Site: http://english.boisestate.edu/mmattison/