Author's Information: Suzanne Lillian Bunkers
E-mail: suzanne.bunkers@mnsu.edu Fax: 507-389-5362 Phone: 507-388-4020
RELEVANT BACKGROUND:
I am a native Midwesterner who grew up in the small northwest Iowa town of Granville (population, 300). At the age of eighteen, I went to Ames, Iowa, to study at Iowa State University, where I remained for six years and earned my bachelor's and master's degrees. From there I did post-graduate work at Purdue, then entered the doctoral program in English at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After earning my Ph.D. in 1980, I accepted a position at MSU.
For the past twenty-five years, I have lived in Mankato, Minnesota, where I teach literature and creative writing at Minnesota State University. I am also a writer and have authored and edited several books. My daughter, Rachel, and I like to travel, especially to Luxembourg, our ancestral home.
I do research, writing, and publishing in the fields of autobiography, memoir, Midwestern American history, women’s studies, and immigration history (with emphasis on Luxembourg history and immigration to the U.S.). I have received a number of grants and awards for my work.I regularly travel widely in western Europe, particularly in Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, and France. I’ve also traveled often to parts of Mexico and Canada. In June 1999, my travels took me to Beijing, China, to speak at the International Symposium on Autobiography. In summer 2000, my research took me to Europe and Canada. In summer 2001, I returned to Europe to continue my research. In summer 2002, thanks to a MSU Teaching Scholar Fellowship, I continued my research in the U.S. and in European settings. In summer 2003, I traveled to several eastern European cities, including Berlin, Warsaw, Krakow, Prague, and Budapest. During my 2004-2005 sabbatical from teaching, I was awarded a visiting professorship at the University of East London and presented scholarly papers at international conferences in Hong Kong and Krakow.
Gale series that include entries on my work include the following:
- Contemporary Authors, volume 160
- Contemporary Authors New Revision Series, volume 115
- Something About the Author, volume 136
My research and publishing interests vary widely. I've published in the United States and abroad: