Independent Historian
Cheryl Shell earned a Ph.D. in English from the University of California at Davis, specializing in Renaissance literature. Her dissertation focused on Shakespeare’s working class characters and their strategies of resistance to those in power, a subject that required research into the history of early modern England and the socio-political struggles of Western society. Shell grew up in Connecticut and attended Southern Connecticut State University, graduating with a baccalaureate in Sociology.  She then joined the U.S. Army, serving six years as a mental health paraprofessional. After active duty, Shell continued her education at Wichita State University, earning a Master’s in English.  A University of California Regents’ Fellowship award brought her to U.C. Davis. Shell taught English for 12 years, as a graduate student and as faculty at National University (California) and the University of Maine, Augusta. Her interests include African-American history, military history, multicultural literature, sports writing, music, and genealogy.

Clarence Major (1936- )

Clarence Lee Major is a distinguished poet, novelist, painter, anthologist, lexicographer, memoirist, and teacher. His creative output encompasses a wide range of artistic and intellectual endeavors across six decades, producing works that have often defied expectations, provoked controversy, and revealed new ways of seeing. Major was born December 31, 1936, … Read MoreClarence Major (1936- )