Only as a memory was I conscious of this: the lift and drop of the raft in the waves; the splashes coming off the tubes; the morning sun flashing on the waves; the roar of the water reflected by the wall ­ we descended on the wall, drawn toward it as if pulled by a string. Down and up, twisting side to side, building ­ more waves, more light, more sound, until it is an explosion of sound and sight: too much to separate.

     from Me and Sid: A Journey by Rivers

             Michael Burke has been at Colby since 1987, and has taught courses in Composition, American Literature, Historical Contexts, Creative Nonfiction, as well as in an Integrated Semester cluster on "Environments". His interests are in Creative Nonfiction, Environmental Literature, and forms of American Literature.

English 126: Integrated Semester Program (ISP) Environmental Literature:"It's Not Easy Being Green"

Environmental Literature is a subject which includes both a body of literature and a critical approach (ecocriticism). We approach the literature from both an intrinsic perspective (dealing with works which address the environment and humans' relationship to it) and extrinsic ones (bringing ecocritical approaches to bear on any work). A writing-intensive course which satisfies the College EN 115 requirement.

English 398: Environmental Writing: Writing About Place

Practice in the forms of nonfiction which seek to evoke and represent place, the non-human, and the human experience of both. A creative writing workshop which begins with sample readings, followed by exercises, then consideration of student work, and a concluding portfolio of polished essays, memoirs, adventure narratives or environmental description.

Michael Burke has published nonfiction in such forums as Outside, Yankee, Islands, The New York Times, Down East, The Boston Globe, and New England Monthly. His book Me and Sid: Journeys by River is represented by Witherspoon & Associates in New York, and he is currently at work on another project, concerning maple sugaring.

Contact Info:
Agent: Maria Massie, Witherspoon Associates, Inc.
235 East 31st Street, New York, NY 10016
(212) 889-8626

Online CV or CV as Word Document

Other projects :

Link to Burke essay in the Colby mag

Link to a photo page from the Colby in London Fall semester 2001