I go by "Chip" because my real name is Arthur Larry II. I spent nearly a decade getting a doctorate because, frankly, it was hell being a "Mr. Rogers." Yes, I live in a neighborhood, and yes, I do own a few sweaters. So?Before coming to Macon I lived in Durham, NC (twice); Spartanburg, SC; Washington, DC; Dallas, TX; Claygate, Surrey, England; Charlotte, NC (twice); Knoxville, TN; Charleston, SC (my favorite), and Claremore, OK, just outside of Tulsa. My undergraduate school was Duke University, I earned an M.A. from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and my Ph.D. is from the University of Tennessee. One highlight of my education was a semester studying Russian language and culture at Leningrad State University in the former Soviet Union.
I've taught college English for sixteen years now, with stints at the University of Tennessee, the College of Charleston, and The Citadel before taking a tenure-track position at Rogers State University in fall 2004. I started at Macon State in fall 2007 and am thrilled to be in Macon and at MSC. Beyond composition, my areas of academic specialization are British literature of the 19th century, the novel, narrative theory, and American literature before 1900. My master's thesis examined authorial intrusion in Henry Fielding's Tom Jones, and my dissertation explored autobiographical implications of Charles Dickens's narrative technique in David Copperfield, Bleak House, and Great Expectations.
Before I began teaching I was a bartender for eight years in Charlotte. I've also done stretches in restaurant and catering management, newspaper street sales, and commercial painting.
In summer 2007 I was diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)—this was something of a shock! Following chemotherapy summer and fall of 2008 I am now in full remission with a good outlook for the future. I owe my life, literally, to the outstanding doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals at the Emory Winship Cancer Institute in Atlanta. These kind and good folks at Emory, one and all, flat out kick ass!
Teaching, writing, and scholarship keep me busy, but as often as I can I enjoy riding motorcycles, backpacking in the mountains, turning wrenches, and playing fetch with Natasha Moya Dyevushka—she's a Siberian Husky. I don't "rock" like I did back in the day playing keyboards in an exceptionally loud band, but I do still play the piano some. I'm a brilliant singer when no one else is listening :-). I've just started collaborating on a CD with an old rocker bud in Charlotte: see myspace.com/demolutionband. A knee injury ended my promising career in Knoxville's 30-and-over indoor soccer league, but I still jog . . . well, sometimes. I'm a huge sports fan: go Braves! go Blue Devils! go Carolina Panthers! go Dallas Cowboys! go USA women's soccer! go Manchester United! And again, go Braves!
For a grin or two, see these: