Gilpin, Geoff 1953-

views updated

Gilpin, Geoff 1953-

PERSONAL:

Born September 22, 1953; married; wife's name Sarah. Education: Maharishi International University, B.A.; Goucher College, M.F.A.; studied computer science at University of Wisconsin—Oshkosh.

ADDRESSES:

E-mail—geoff@geoffgilpin.com.

CAREER:

Technical writer and computer software consultant; Software Resource Publications, Inc., Madison, WI, co-owner, 1994-98.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Kenneth Kingery/August Derleth Nonfiction Book Award, Council of Wisconsin Writers, 2007, for The Maharishi Effect: A Personal Journey through the Movement That Transformed American Spirituality.

WRITINGS:

Ada: A Guided Tour and Tutorial, Prentice-Hall (Englewood Cliffs, NJ), 1985.

The Maharishi Effect: A Personal Journey through the Movement That Transformed American Spirituality, J.P. Tarcher/Penguin (New York, NY), 2006.

Author of the blog Ex Libris Geoff Gilpin.

SIDELIGHTS:

Geoff Gilpin became involved with the transcendental meditation (TM) movement in the 1970s at the peak of its popularity. He was one of the first students to attend Maharishi International University in Fairfield, Iowa, which was founded in 1973 by the father of the TM movement, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. After graduating with a bachelor's degree, Gilpin went on to study computer science at the University of Wisconsin; his first book, Ada: A Guided Tour and Tutorial, became a standard reference for the Ada programming language.

In 2000 Gilpin earned a master of fine arts degree and set to work writing a book on a topic close to his heart: the TM movement. His goal was to open a door into the secretive organization, share his experiences as a TM adherent, and revisit his motives for joining, and eventually leaving, the TM movement. The resulting work, The Maharishi Effect: A Personal Journey through the Movement That Transformed American Spirituality, earned Gilpin the Kenneth Kingery/August Derleth Nonfiction Book Award from the Council of Wisconsin Writers. A Guruphiliac critic described The Maharishi Effect as "a pleasant journey" and a "sweet little read that moves quickly, doesn't bore, and provides a good insider's view." Mike Tribby, writing for Booklist, called the book "an intriguing read."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, October 1, 2006, Mike Tribby, review of The Maharishi Effect: A Personal Journey through the Movement That Transformed American Spirituality, p. 28.