Colin Rafferty

Associate Professor University of Mary Washington

  • Fredericksburg VA

His research has taken him to the mountains of central Vietnam, the concentration camps of WWII, and the house of Rutherford B. Hayes.

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Spotlight

1 min

Too Cool for School? Our #experts can help with a history lesson in hipness

Who decides what’s “cool?” What have been the criteria over the years for rising to the ranks of “hot,” “phat” or “lit?” Colin Rafferty teaches a course that delves into the elusive but ever-so-attractive notion of being deemed “cool.” The syllabus examines this coveted quality and the entities described by it in historical and contemporary contexts, from its roots in the post-WWI jazz-age to rappers and TikTok. “The Idea of Cool” uses books, music and movies to explore what and who rises to the top of popular opinion and why. “I am decidedly not cool,” said Rafferty, who describes himself as a middle-aged man who owns a book of crossword puzzles. “But I find cool to be a fascinating thing.” Colin is available to speak with media about “The Idea of Cool” and his very cool work . Simply click on his icon to arrange an interview.

Colin Rafferty

1 min

Prose, prayers, palindromes and 45 presidents

If there’s one thing Colin Rafferty – a University of Mary Washington associate professor of English and teacher of creative nonfiction – knows better than prose, it’s the United States’ 45 presidents. His current manuscript, a collection of essays about each of them, includes pieces that range from “The Fear” about Martin Van Buren and “Bully” about Theodore Roosevelt to “What They Said About Him” about Barack Obama and “The Imagineer Considers Tomorrow” about Trump. Written as palindromes, death songs, prayers, movie scripts and more, Rafferty’s work has appeared in such prestigious publications as Brevity, Cobalt, Juked, Parcel and Waxwing, and he was recently featured on the Virginia Public Radio’s With Good Reason for a segment on “Getting to Know the Presidents.” “Reading and writing about the presidents has let me explore both American history and the expansiveness of creative nonfiction,” said Rafferty, who read a biography of each president before penning his essays. Colin is available to speak with media about his work and about President's Day. Simply click on his icon to arrange an interview. Source:

Colin Rafferty

Media

Biography

Colin Rafferty, Associate Professor of English, writes nonfiction that explores the relationships between history, memory, the self, and the community, and, in the process, he examines the elastic boundaries of the essay form. His most recent essays extends to the Oval Office. Rafferty has written a collection of essays about each of the 45 presidents, including pieces that range from “The Fear” about Martin Van Buren and “Bully” about Theodore Roosevelt to “What They Said About Him” about Barack Obama and “The Imagineer Considers Tomorrow” about Trump. Written as palindromes, death songs, prayers, movie scripts and more, Rafferty’s work has appeared in such prestigious publications as Brevity, Cobalt, Juked, Parcel and Waxwing. He also has been featured on the Virginia Public Radio’s With Good Reason for a segment on “Getting to Know the Presidents.”

Rafferty also wrote Hallow This Ground, published in 2016 by Break Away Books. Inspired by monuments and memorials around the world, the collection covers landmarks as distant as Holocaust memorials in Poland and as close as the battlefields of Fredericksburg, Virginia.

His research has taken him to the mountains of central Vietnam, the concentration camps of World War II, and the house of Rutherford B. Hayes (twice). Rafferty teaches Creative Writing: Nonfiction and the seminar in Nonfiction, as well as Writing about Food.

Areas of Expertise

History
Rutherford B. Hayes
Creative Writing
World War 2
Monuments and Memorials

Accomplishments

Hallow This Ground

2016-02-01

Rafferty also wrote Hallow This Ground, published in 2016 by Break Away Books. Inspired by monuments and memorials around the world, the collection covers landmarks as distant as Holocaust memorials in Poland and as close as the battlefields of Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Education

University of Alabama

Masters

M.F.A.

Iowa State University

Masters

M.A.

Kansas State University

Bachelors

B.A.

Media Appearances

GV Writer’s Series set to hold its second virtual event

lanthorn.com  online

2021-02-10

The second event of Grand Valley State University’s Writers Series will feature Associate Professor and author Colin Rafferty doing a nonfiction reading.

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Rafferty Publishes Latest Essay in Presidential Series

Eagle Eye  online

2018-02-14

Colin Rafferty, Associate Professor of English, had his essay on William Howard Taft, “Judgment (#27),” published in the newest issue​ of The Collapsar.

This is the latest in his series of essays devoted to U.S. presidents.

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Rafferty Publishes Graphic Essay on James Monroe

Eagle Eye  online

2018-01-30

Colin Rafferty, Associate Professor of English, recently had his graphic essay on James Monroe, “The Eye of James Monroe (#5),” published in the newest issue​ of Pinball magazine.

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Courses

Creative Writing

The Creative Writing concentration offers English majors the opportunity to focus on the craft and art of writing, editing, and analyzing their own original work and the work of established writers and peer writers within a selected genre. The concentration offers three different levels of workshops: introductory, intermediate, and advanced. The concentration may be completed by pursuing a fiction or poetry track, and eventually, a creative non-fiction track.

Upon successful completion of the program, students are prepared for further studies in literature and/or writing and editing, as well as the more traditional post-graduate careers. Students who satisfy the departmental requirements for honors can achieve honors in creative writing through work in a senior seminar or individual study.

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Articles

The latest in a series of small things

Iowa State University Digital Repository

Rafferty, C.

2013-10-14

These essays chronicle my attempt to join, discover, and create community both as a child and as an adult. In my youth, I sought belonging in a number of places, from the Catholic Church to Hollywood game shows, from a parochial school classroom to a firetrap punk rock club. And each time, I felt close to belonging to something bigger than myself, only to see it broken up for a multitude of reasons, sometimes of my own doing. As an adult, I threw myself feverishly into my romantic relationships, believing that I might find in a community of two the stability that larger groups lacked. And when those relationships fell apart, I found myself more alone that I had ever imagined I might.

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Notes toward building the memorial

GALE

Rafferty, C.

2012-01-01

1. HERE IS THE SITE, and here are the names of the people who died. 2. But to reach the site--it is remote, nearly inaccessible, and although the exit for the town is well marked--I ask the Pennsylvania Turnpike worker for directions out of town. They have printed the directions on a small flyer, and the worker peels one off and hands it to me. There are a number of turns to take. There are many ways to become lost. 3. I should stop for lunch. I have been driving since morning. Where the flyer tells me to continue straight, I turn right, into the town instead of out of it.

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