Mr Marcus Slease

Marcus Slease

Adjunct Instructor of English for Academic Purposes

Marcus was born in Portadown, N. Ireland but lived in the United States for 18 years. He is an Irish citizen but holds resident alien status in the United States. He did a BA in English literature at Weber State University (Utah), an MA in English (rhetoric and composition) at Western Washington University, and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at the University of North Carolina. During his M.A., he completed a year-long seminar and teaching practice in academic writing. He has also completed a Trinity certificate in teaching English as a foreign language in London. His twelve years of teaching experience is international and varied. For two years he was a lecturer in English Literature and creative writing at the University of North Carolina. He then decided to travel, teach and write. His first destination was South Korea where he taught English for academic purposes at Gyeongin National University. He then moved to northern Poland and taught English for Academic Purposes and did some teacher training at Regents College. Following this, he spent a year teaching academic writing at Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey. In between his travels he has spent time teaching business English, adult literacy and academic writing in colleges in London. London is his base.

In addition to teaching, Marcus is very active in the poetry communities in London. His passion is creative writing. He gives readings on a regular basis and has been a guest of honour at international literary conferences in places such as the Prague Microfestival, The Carborro International Poetry Festival (U.S.A.), and Soundeye (Cork, Ireland). Interviews, poems, and reviews can be found in various literary magazines and academic journals in the U.S., U.K., and Poland. His work has been translated into Polish, Turkish, and Czech.

Courses Taught

ELD 152: Fundamentals of Academic Writing

ELD 160: Fundamentals of Conceptual Thinking

ELD 162: Fundamentals of Academic Communication

Publications

Wonderland, memoir/ creative nonfiction from travels in Turkey, Italy, and Poland, in progress

Fractured Burps. Plays from Turkey and London, in progress

Smashing Time. Poetry from London, in progress

Hello Tiny Bird Brain. Poetry. Knives Forks and Spoons Press. September 2011. (Alec Newman, Ed.)

Balloons. Poetry. Deadwood Press. London, U.K., July 2011 (Ewa Rasala, Ed.)

Nerve Fibre. Poetry. Arthur Shelling Press. June 2011. (Harry Godwin, Ed.)

Godzenie. Poetry and creative non-fiction. Buffalo, NY, Blazevox Press, June 2009 (Geoffrey Gaza, Ed.)

Mouth Harp. Poetry and philosophy. Vaudeville Press. Jan 2007. (Patrick Herron, Ed.)

From Campanology. Poetry. Gateway Songbooks. Winter 2006. (Alyssa Wolf, Ed.)

King Gorged. Poetry. Stall no Stall Press. May 2005. (Ezra Plemmons, Ed.)

Magazines

Poetry and fiction published in well-respected literary journals in the UK and US such as: Rialto, American Poetry Review, West Wind Review, Free Verse, Bellingham Review, Hayden’s Ferry Review, Columbia Poetry Review, Talisman, Shadowtrain, Past Simple, Word for/word, The Argotist Online, Story South, Octopus, Conduit, Shampoo, Fascicle, Minor American, Gutcult, Diagram

Selected Book Reviews

Rain Taxi, “Either Way I’m Celebrating: A Review of Sommer Browning’s Comics and poetry,” December 2011

Octopus Magazine, “History and Image in 20th century Japan: A Review of Jon Thompson’s The Book of the Floating World,” spring 2005

Your Black Eye Magazine, “From the Inside/Out: A Review of Mark Wallace’s Temporary Worker Rides a Subway,” Washington D.C., winter 2005

Gutcult Magazine, “The Late Lyric: A Review of Robyn Schiff’s Worth,” winter 2004

Conferences, Presentations and Proceedings

Minimum Security Prison Poetry, The Horse Hospital, The Colonnade, Bloomsbury, London, U.K. 23rd November 2011

The Camarade Project in association with Literature across Frontiers & Arc Publications, collaborations between poets from U.K., Latvia, Macedonia, and Russia, London, U.K. 15th October 2011

Book Launch: Hello Tiny Bird Brain, Soho Curzon, London, U.K., 31st August 2011

Maintenant Slovakia in association with Literature across Frontiers & Arc Publications, Rich Mix, Brick Lane, London. 18th June 2011

British poets in celebration of the Movie Howl, Poetry Cafe, Covent Garden, London, March 2011

Prague Microfestival, featured writer, funded by the Irish Embassy in Prague, October 2010

Soundeye Poetry Festival, Cork, Ireland, July 2009

Openned Reading Series, The Foundry, Old Street, London, U.K. August 2008

La Langoustine Est Morte, Poetry Cafe´, Covent Garden, London, June 2008.

Bridge Street Books Reading Series, Washington DC, host: Rod Smith, July 2004.

Molly’s Book Shop, Philadelphia, July 2004.

Mipoesias, Radio show, Florida, June 2006, hosted by Didi Menendez.

Carrboro International Literary Festival, North Carolina, May 2005.

Cornell University, MFA student reading series, March 2005.

Desert City Reading Series, Chapel Hill, NC, January 2005.

University of North Carolina, St. Mary’s Reading Series, May 2003.

AWP Conference: Associated Writing Programs, “Reader Response Theory and the writing classroom,” Kansas City, MO, spring 2000.

Selection Committee 2000 National Undergraduate Literature Conference, selected and organized papers for the conference, Weber State University, spring 2000.

WSU Literature Conference “Recycling Female Oppression: Jane Eyre as a Tool Against Emancipation,” Weber State University, spring 1999. Page 4

WSU Literature Conference, “Buddha Speaks: Overcoming the Nightmare of Galway Kinnell,” Weber State University, spring 1998.

WSU Literature Conference, “Definitions of Power: Gender and Economics in Iroquois Society,” Weber State University, spring 1997.