For over 40 years, Joe Trimmer taught courses in American Literature, film, and creative nonfiction. He taught writing for 15 years at the Martha’s Vineyard Summer Workshops on Teaching and Writing. Joe has also worked on 20 films for Public Broadcasting Network such as the six-part series, Middletown, which was nominated for 10 Emmys and won the first place prize at the Sundance Film Festival. He’s also served as an active member of the Arts and Humanities Division of the Council on Undergraduate Research and the Board of Directors of Indiana Humanities. He has also given numerous presentations on immersive learning, a cornerstone of a Ball State education, at national and international conferences.
Professional Experience
Professor of English
Ball State University, 1968-2014
Founding Director, Virginia Ball Center for Creative Inquiry
Ball State University, 2000-2014
Advocate, National Humanities Alliance
2014-present
Director of the Writing Program
Department of English, Ball State University, 1972-1984
College Board, National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)
1984-1990
Board of Directors, Indiana Humanities
2014-present
Executive Board, Council on Undergraduate Research
2016
Curriculum Vitae
Download (PDF)
Education
PhD in English
Purdue University, 1968
B.A. in English
Colgate University, 1963
Research and Publications
- A Guide to MLA Documentation, 10th edition. Boston, MA: Cengage, 2019.
- The River Reader, 12th edition. Boston, MA: Cenage, 2017.
- Writing with a Purpose, 14th edition. Boston, MA: Houghton, 2004.
- Narration as Knowledge: Tales of the Teaching Life. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1997.
- The National Book Award for Fiction: An Index to the First Twenty-Five Years. Boston, MA: G.K Hall, 1978.