Thomas Bracken
English Department
CLS 2036, x5821

Assistant Professor Tom Bracken has been teaching creative writing and contemporary American literature at Northeastern Illinois University since 1967. His students, former students, and off-campus students have published fiction and poetry in Esquire, Harpers, Atlantic Monthly, Poetry, Playboy, Ascent, Transatlantic Review, Epoch, Partisan Review, Mississippi Review, Mississippi Valley Review, Northwest Review and many other literary magazines; a number have published novels, literary, young adult, romance and mystery. His students and former students have received various awards, including numerous Illinois Arts Council grants, Pen Awards, N.E.A. grants, and publication in The Mississippi Review, Best of College Writing issue.

Mr. Bracken earned his B.A. in English Composition from Northwestern University in 1963, his M.A. in English: Language Arts, from San Franciso State University in 1965. He did post-master's work at the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop ('66-'67) and additional post-master's study of literature at Northwestern University, 1970. His fiction has been listed in the roll of honor, Best American Stories of 1980, and published in Tri-Quarterly, Kansas Quarterly, Perspectives: West, Whetstone and elsewhere. He is a founding editor of Story Quarterly, has twice been a visiting writer in the Illinois Arts Council Writers-in-the-Schools Program, and has been a judge in literary awards for such literary societies and institutions as Midland Authors and Oak Park-River Forest High School (Hemingway Awards). At Northeastern Illinois, Mr. Bracken most commonly teaches Creative Writing, Composition, and Contemporary American Literature, including the following courses:

ENGL 101: Writing I (catalog description)
ENGL 203: World of Fiction (catalog description)
ENGL 235: Introduction to Creative Writing I (catalog description)
ENGL 236: Introduction to Creative Writing, II (catalog description)
ENGL 385: Creative Writing: Fiction, I (catalog description)
ENGL 386: Creative Writing: Fiction, II (catalog description)