EDUCATION

Ph.D. in English from the University of Tulsa

M.A., English, Brigham Young University

B.A., English, Brigham Young University

BIOGRAPHY

Specializing in the British Victorian Period, Romantic Period, Neoclassic Period, British Novel, Critical Theory, YA Fiction, Bible as Literature, and . . . (okay, I really just love all literature--life is too short to pick, right?), I received my B.A. and M.A. in English from Brigham Young University before heading off to Tulsa, Oklahoma. There I braved the horrendous humidity for too long before emerging with my Ph.D. in English from the University of Tulsa. Although I sometimes questioned my willingness to live with the humid heat, I met and married my lovely eternal companion while in Oklahoma, so I call accepting 107+ degree summers an easy price to pay for such a lovely and wonderful wife and friend (I now live in Arizona, so clearly I am awful at picking cool places to live)!

I have been teaching for the last two decades+ and love my work (whether teaching about Christ in Quito, Ecuador at age 19 or teaching university students literature classes, I have loved teaching for as long as I can remember). I find that I am constantly amazed by the many talents students bring to classes, a wit and energy that revitalizes my teaching. I consider it a great gift to have been able to meet and continue to meet so many incredible minds. It seems to me that although some aspects of life (see: spending time outdoors) may be decaying in our increasingly modern world, the wit, intelligence, vivaciousness and kindness of students continues to increase each semester and each year (I doubt students realize how impressed their instructors often are by the students they are lucky enough to teach). Because I believe in learning from each other, my classrooms are very discussion based and we spend a lot of time thinking together about complexities of literature and life.

Outside of academia, I am anxiously engaged in NCAA basketball, especially during the month of March, disc-golf (since my athletic skills—see football, basketball—are eroding rapidly), racquetball, and all things chocolate. I attempt—rarely with any success—to be as smart as my wife, Melissa, and as quick and nimble as my children: Cade, Corinne, Liam, London, Eden, and Emerson. Cade is the oldest (14) and Emerson the youngest (7) so yes, the Spencer home is a busy place =) I look forward to getting to know as much as a I can about each of my students, and although I believe in working hard and pushing students to do their best and succeed (which can be challenging and draining), please know that I will often wear my good luck Star Wars tie while grading on students’ behalf.