Michael J. Hostetler

My career path has been the opposite of St. Augustine. He started out as a professor of rhetoric and became a priest. I started out as a pastor and became a professor of rhetoric.

I currently ply my trade at St. John's University in New York where I am Professor of Rhetoric and Public Address and Chair of the Department of Rhetoric, Communication and Theatre.

My research interests include 19th Century American political discourse and the interaction of religion and political discourse generally.

Many thanks to readers who have benefited from my long out of print book, Introducting the Sermon. It still generates some interest from homileticians.

My most recent title is Advanced Public Speaking, written with colleague Mary Kahl. Most of my other publications have been in scholarly journals, including Rhetoric and Public Affaris, Quarterly Journal of Speech, Western Journal of Communication, Journal of Communication and Religion and others.