Peeler, Tim 1957-

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PEELER, Tim 1957-

PERSONAL:

Born March 26, 1957, in Reidsville, NC; son of J. L. (a Lutheran minister) and Ethel (a teacher of mathematics; maiden name, Sloop) Peeler; married January 3, 1981; wife's name Penny (a program coordinator); children: Aaron Michael, Thomas Dylan. Education: East Carolina University, B.A., 1980; Appalachian State University, M.A., 1992. Hobbies and other interests: Competitive running.

ADDRESSES:

Home—1665 Crafton Rd., Hickory, NC 28602. Office—Catawba Valley Community College, Highway 70 S.E., Hickory, NC 28602. E-mail—tpeeler@cvcc.edu.

CAREER:

Catawba Valley Community College, Hickory, NC, instructor in English, 1992—.

MEMBER:

National Association of Developmental Educators, North Carolina Association of Developmental Educators.

WRITINGS:

Touching All the Bases: Poems from Baseball, McFarland and Co. (Jefferson, NC), 2000.

Waiting for Godot's First Pitch (poetry), McFarland and Co. (Jefferson, NC), 2001.

Writers on the Storm (short stories and essays), 1st-Books Library (Bloomington, IN), 2001.

SIDELIGHTS:

Tim Peeler told CA: "I write mostly for the same reason that I run—the horrible wonderful way it makes me feel while I'm doing it.

"Stylistically, my biggest influences are the late Connecticut poet Leo Conellan and the Florida poet Harry Brody. More recently I have been influenced by South Carolina poet Ron Rash. A wide variety of music also has an effect on my work, especially blues. I write most nights, staying up however long it takes to finish a first draft.

"Since much of my published work touches on the subject of baseball, I must acknowledge influence in that area from writers like Mike Shannon and W. P. Kinsella, but also the wonderful radio announcers like Milo Hamilton and Ernie Johnson, who brought bright imagery to me on hot summer childhood nights."