G. Thomas Couser

After graduation from Dartmouth College in 1968, where I majored in English, I spent a year doing graduate work in English at Oxford University. Unable to pursue graduate study because of the draft, I taught and coached for several years at Kimball Union Academy in Meriden, NH. In 1977 I received my Ph.D. in American Civilization from Brown University. During graduate school, I taught in the summer session at Phillips Andover Academy.

After teaching English and American Studies at Connecticut College, I moved on to Hofstra University in 1982. There, in addition to being a professor of English, I served as Director of American Studies and Director of Disability Studies, a program I initiated in 2003.

I retired from Hofstra in 2011.

Since retiring, I have lectured in the US, France, England, Scotland, Germany, Brazil, Australia, and South Africa. I live in Quaker Hill, CT, with my wife, the art historian Barbara Zabel, and our cat Luna.

I am on the board of New London Landmarks, a non-profit that seeks to protect and preserve the architectural heritage of New London, CT, which was founded by Puritans in 1646 and burned by British troops during the Revolutionary War.

I also enjoy sea kayaking on Long Island Sound and its nearby tributaries and playing ice hockey.