David J. Connor

Born in Newcastle, England, David J. Connor is a writer, artist, and educator who lives in New York City. His interests include using personal narratives within educational research and designing book covers. He has published numerous professional articles books, including an autoethnographic memoir "Contemplating Dis/ability in Schools and Society: A Life in Education" (Lexington Press) and the soon to be released "How Teaching Shapes our Thinking about Disabilities: Stories from the Field" (Peter Lang Publishers), co-edited with Beth Ferri. His first book of fiction, "Just Keep Breathing—Tales of Love and Loss in New York City" (Volume 1) is a series of interconnected short stories that focus on universal themes of love and pain, birth and death, joy and sadness—in an ode to humanity with all of its messy imperfections. Each tale centers upon a distinct character in situations that resonate with readers—an estranged son contacted by his aging father, a pregnant teen leaving a small town behind her, a grieving widower aching for reconnection, a daughter coming to know her deceased parents through their love letters. Together, the stories render a colorful contemporary portrait of New York City through its diverse inhabitants.