Monica Weis

I am a retired Professor of English at Nazareth College where I taught rhetoric and American literature for 39 years, as well as directed our English Education program and our Master of Arts in Liberal Studies program (MALS). In addition to my interest in American nature writers such as Mary Austin, Barry Lopez, Wendell Berry, Scott Russell Sanders, and Mary Oliver, I have been reading Thomas Merton for more than twenty years and written numerous articles about Merton's interest in nature.....My third and latest book about Merton will be available in August 2016--a fun read about early Celtic monks and their love of nature. One chapter is on the epic voyage of St. Brendan, an early Celtic monk who sailed for seven years wherever the waves took him and his crew--even landing once on an island that "moved"! Turned out to be the back of a whale! I suppose you could say:"I've a whale of a tale to tell ye, lads."

For years I have been a member of the International Thomas Merton Society (ITMS), the College English Association (CEA), and the New York State CEA; in Fall 2011 I was a Visiting Fulbright Professor of American Literature at the University of Pannonia in Veszprém, Hungary. I loved being in Hungary and spending weekends in Budapest--definitely my favorite European city.

My free time has been spent hiking, bird watching, and swimming. Now that I am retired from teaching, I devote my morning work time to reviewing books and designing workshops/lectures. Afternoons are spent running errands and reading novels. And there always seems to be "something else" to do. No grass growing under my feet.