Burk, Josh 1985- (Josh D. Burk)

PERSONAL:

Born July 29, 1985, in Bedford, TX; son of James (a mail carrier) and M. Jean (a writer and educator) Burk. Ethnicity: "Caucasian." Education: Ouachita Baptist University, B.A., 2007. Religion: Christian. Hobbies and other interests: Running, reading, dogs, listening to music, athletics.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Hurst, TX. E-mail—josh@vocabcafe.com.

CAREER:

Maven of Memory Publishing, Hurst, TX, director of marketing and development, 2007—.

MEMBER:

Big Brother/Big Sister Program (ministry leader, 2005-06).

WRITINGS:

The Summer of Saint Nick, Maven of Memory Publishing (Hurst, TX), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

Josh Burk is an American writer. Born in Bedford, Texas, on July 29, 1985, Burk is the son of a mail carrier and an educator/author. Burk's mother did not start thinking about college for her son until he was in high school. Because money was tight and university costs were quite expensive, she looked into alternative ways to get her son into college for free. A colleague informed her that high Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores could ensure that Josh received full scholarships at a number of universities. Josh, who was home schooled, studied rigorously for the standardized test. His mother, relating the story in a Fort Worth Star-Telegram article, said that "we learned how to take the test and look at the test as a logic test, find the strategies, and the shortcuts." The preparation resulted in Burk scoring a 1540 out of a maximum score of 1600, good enough to ensure a free ride to Ouachita Baptist University, where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in communications and Spanish.

Based on her son's success, his mother began tutoring for SAT-testing classes. She later set up the Maven of Memory Publishing Company in Hurst, Texas, for which he became director of marketing and development upon graduation. She encouraged her son to write for the company about his success in preparing for the test. In response, Josh published his first book, The Summer of Saint Nick, in 2007. The book, written over a period of thirty days, tells the story of a teenage boy who finds a sizeable sum of money. While pondering how to spend it, he sees that certain people in his community could benefit from it more than he would. He spends his summer giving the money to those more in need. Written with an educational twist, the story includes several hundred SAT-level vocabulary words that are highlighted to draw attention to their context and application.

Josh Burk told CA: "The only way to truly express our ideas is through perfect diction choice. What I love about The Summer of Saint Nick and the VocabCafe books series is that it makes learning great words so easy. I wanted to make learning powerful words easier. Our society demands that we have the ability to speak, write, and present our thoughts effectively.

"Studying flash cards is absolutely no fun—but when the vocabulary is placed inside the context of a story, learning becomes simple. You remember the words because you remember the context, and because you read the vocabulary in a sentence, you learn how to use it yourself.

"Besides encouraging positive communication, I have felt called to produce quality, wholesome writing. Our lives are extremely affected by media. We as humans imitate and believe the things we see and read. So much out there can have a tremendously negative influence. I think it's important that my work always supports positive moral values. I hope my writing inspires readers everywhere. Whether it helps someone write an awesome essay, allows someone to perfectly express their feelings, or just helps someone enjoy reading, it will have done its job."