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Philip Nel

 

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Philip Nel



 
 
Philip Nel (born 1969) is an American scholar of children's literature and Professor of English at Kansas State University
Kansas State University

Kansas State University, officially named Kansas State University of Agriculture and Applied Science but commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, Kansas, in the United States....
. He is best known for his work on Dr. Seuss
Dr. Seuss

Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American writer and cartoonist, most widely known for his children's books written under his pen name, Dr. Seuss....
 and Harry Potter
Harry Potter

Harry Potter is a Heptalogy fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the eponymous adolescent wizard Harry Potter , together with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, his friends from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry....
, which have led to his being a guest on such media programs as CBS Sunday Morning, NPR's Morning Edition
Morning Edition

Morning Edition is an American radio news program produced and distributed by National Public Radio . It airs weekday mornings and runs for two hours, and many stations repeat one or both hours....
 and Talk of the Nation
Talk of the Nation

Talk of the Nation is a talk radio program based in the United States, produced by National Public Radio, and is broadcast nationally from 2 to 4 p.m....
.

Background
Nel was born in Massachusetts. He received his Ph.D. and M.A. from Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt University is a private university research university in Nashville, Tennessee, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for ship transport and rail transport magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial United States dollar1 million endowment despite having never been to the Southern...
 in 1997 and 1993, and his B.A. from the University of Rochester
University of Rochester

The University of Rochester is a private university, nonsectarian, research university located in Rochester, New York. The university grants undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and professional degrees through six schools and various interdisciplinary programs....
 in 1992.






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Encyclopedia


Philip Nel (born 1969) is an American scholar of children's literature and Professor of English at Kansas State University
Kansas State University

Kansas State University, officially named Kansas State University of Agriculture and Applied Science but commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, Kansas, in the United States....
. He is best known for his work on Dr. Seuss
Dr. Seuss

Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American writer and cartoonist, most widely known for his children's books written under his pen name, Dr. Seuss....
 and Harry Potter
Harry Potter

Harry Potter is a Heptalogy fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the eponymous adolescent wizard Harry Potter , together with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, his friends from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry....
, which have led to his being a guest on such media programs as CBS Sunday Morning, NPR's Morning Edition
Morning Edition

Morning Edition is an American radio news program produced and distributed by National Public Radio . It airs weekday mornings and runs for two hours, and many stations repeat one or both hours....
 and Talk of the Nation
Talk of the Nation

Talk of the Nation is a talk radio program based in the United States, produced by National Public Radio, and is broadcast nationally from 2 to 4 p.m....
.

Background


Nel was born in Massachusetts. He received his Ph.D. and M.A. from Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt University is a private university research university in Nashville, Tennessee, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for ship transport and rail transport magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial United States dollar1 million endowment despite having never been to the Southern...
 in 1997 and 1993, and his B.A. from the University of Rochester
University of Rochester

The University of Rochester is a private university, nonsectarian, research university located in Rochester, New York. The university grants undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and professional degrees through six schools and various interdisciplinary programs....
 in 1992. He married on May 24, 1997. In response to the question of why he writes about what he does, Nel told Contemporary Authors, "To study children's literature is to be reminded of why reading (and re-reading) is fun, but it is also to see how complex and interesting supposedly 'simple' books really are. And that's fun, too."

Career


Nel began his teaching career while he was a graduate student at Vanderbilt. He continued there as an adjunct professor for a year before moving on to the College of Charleston
College of Charleston

The College of Charleston is a public university, sea-grant, and space-grant university located in historic downtown Charleston, South Carolina....
 for two years. In 2000, he began teaching at Kansas State as an assistant professor, then as associate professor in 2005. In 2006 he was appointed Director of the at Kansas State and was made Professor in 2008.

In recent years, Nel has researched and is writing a biography of Crockett Johnson
Crockett Johnson

Crockett Johnson was the pen name of cartoonist and children's book illustrator David Johnson Leisk . He is perhaps best known for the comic strip Barnaby and the Harold series of books begun with Harold and the Purple Crayon....
 and Ruth Krauss
Ruth Krauss

Ruth Krauss was an author of children's books, one of the most beloved being The Carrot Seed. Krauss is a graduate of the Parson's School of Fine Applied Art....
. The book is under contract with University Press of Mississippi and is anticipated to be complete by December 2008.

Works

  • Tales for Little Rebels: A Collection of Radical Children's Literature. Co-edited with Julia Mickenberg. NYU Press, 2008.
  • The Annotated Cat: Under the Hats of Seuss and His Cats. New York: Random House, 2007.
  • Dr. Seuss: American Icon. New York and London: Continuum Publishing, 2004.
  • The Avant-Garde and American Postmodernity: Small Incisive Shocks. Jackson and London: University Press of Mississippi, 2002.
  • J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter Novels: A Reader's Guide. New York and London: Continuum Publishing, 2001.


  • Afterword to Crockett Johnson's Magic Beach. Appreciation by Maurice Sendak
    Maurice Sendak

    Maurice Bernard Sendak is an American writer and illustrator of children's literature who is best known for his book Where the Wild Things Are, published in 1963....
    . Ashville, NC: Front Street, 2005.


Sources

  • Talk of the Nation, NPR, 10 Feb. 2004.
  • . 2008.
  • . 2008.
  • Lynn Neary, , Morning Edition, NPR, 1 Mar. 2007.
  • "Philip Nel," Department of English, Kansas State University.
  • "Philip Nel," K-State Media Guide
  • "Philip W. Nel." Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2004. Literature Resource Center.