Robert Petrone

Dr. Robert Petrone (he/him/his) is a creative nonfiction writer and an Associate Professor of Critical Youth Studies and Education at the University of Missouri. Prior to joining Mizzou, Dr. Petrone was a faculty member at Montana State University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, earned graduate degrees at Northern Arizona University and Michigan State University, and taught middle and high school English and Reading in New York and Colorado.

As a scholar, his research focuses on understanding 1) the cultural construction of ideas of "adolescence," 2) the learning and literacy practices of youth in non-school spaces (e.g., skateboarding), and 3) pedagogical practices to improve the schooling experiences for young people, particularly those marginalized by schools and society. His scholarship has primarily been in relation with Indigenous, Latino, and white working-class and low SES young men in rural contexts.

As a creative writer, Robert is currently working on a book-length memoir about his experiences growing up the 4th of 5 kids in Brooklyn and Long Island amidst parental disability.