I'm at Truman State University, a small public liberal arts college in NE Missouri, generally well thought-of. I teach language and literature of the middle ages, cover some linguistics, pinch-hit in German (picked it up when a pretty Austrian girl said she'd have me. We had to talk SOMETIME.). To my chagrin, some scribbled poetry and fiction has won more attention than my scholarship (hard fight with a short stick) so they've got me teaching that, too. My specialty in medieval was comparative oral tradition (which leads actually out of English and into anthropologically-oriented folklore). I'm webmaster and currently prez of the Missouri Folklore Society -- will you put up with a plug? http://www2.truman.edu/~adavis/mfs.html.

So there's my story, such as it is. I'm very interested in all things folk, and glad to be tolerated on the Mudcat, though my musical ability/knowledge is far behind my enthusiasm/interest (I like to think I make a contribution by promoting folk music events in my area). For those who live in or around the state that (I think) borders more states than any other, the homepage maintains a calendar of events (plug, plug).

Thanks for asking. I love this place and everybody in it.

Adam