Greetings from Serendipity Farm . . . .
I'm William McKeen, professor and chairman of The University of Florida Department of Journalism. I also write books. Please buy them, so that I might continue to feed my children.
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I write about music and popular culture. Sometimes I think I have the best job in the world because my "work" requires me to listen to Bob Dylan and to read Tom Wolfe and Hunter S. Thompson. Going to see His Grand Exalted Mystic Bobness (that's Mr. Dylan to you, buddy) at least once a year is actually as much research project as it is fun.
Poke around this site and you will find information about my books, my classes and even my family. (For the record: Sarah, 29; Graham, 27; Mary, 22; Savannah, 12; Jack, 7; Travis, 5; and Charley, 4. (See bottom of this page for links to family photos.)
Indulge me as I offer a family update:
- Sarah graduated from the University of Florida, worked at a Washington, D.C.-area architectural firm for three years, worked for a major firms in Manhattan and Chicago, where she now lives. Despite the geography, she manages to make it to a few UF home games each year.
- Because of Highway 61, people constantly ask me about Graham: "How's he doing?" Well, he is an environmental specialist at his alma mater, Indiana University, responsible for the whole university system's water supply, among other things. He is a also at work on a master's degree.
- Mary Grace is a senior at Ball State University and a talented actress who played Eponine in Les Miserables and Ado Annie in Oklahoma during her career at Bloomington High School South. She's working on a degree in theater and theater education.
- Savannah is a seventh-grader at St. Patrick's Interparish School. She is also a horsewoman of great skill and a joy to live with.
- Maybe we should have named Jack Elvis (which was my preferred name). The boy has a lot of Elvis in him. There are times that I think he is a space alien. He is a second grader at St. Patrick's Interparish School.
- Travis was born two days after my birthday and six days before Savannah's. We celebrate an eight-day festival called Birthday Week in September (sort of like Shark Week on the Discovery Channel). Travis looks just like his mother, which bodes extremely well for him. He's in kindergarten at St. Patrick's.
- Charley is a very wise little guy. He talks a lot, but we're only just beginning to understand him. One of his favorite expressions is "That's what I'm talkin' about!" He's in Pre-K 4 at St. Patrick's.
It goes without saying that my wife, Nicole, is a saint. She works in the communications office of the University of Florida College of Engineering and is the editor of the best damn engineering magazine you'll ever read, The Florida Engineer.
You can get all of the details of my career from my resume, but here's the short version: I was a newspaper reporter and copy editor, then did a stint on a couple of magazines — The American Spectator and The Saturday Evening Post. These days, I write regularly for The St. Petersburg Times and Creative Loafing in Tampa.
While working for the Post, I decided to take a vacation in graduate school and that became a career-changing experience. I became a professor. I taught at Western Kentucky University for five years, The University of Oklahoma for four years and I've been at The University of Florida since 1986. I think it's a darn swell place.
I have a bunch of pictures on Facebook. Here are the links (below) to several family photo albums and also to one work-related album. Viewing these may require you to log into Facebook. If you're not on Facebook, it might be worth joining. It's fairly painless.
Family Photo Album, Vol. 1
Family Photo Album, Vol. 2
Family Photo Album, Vol. 3
Family Photo Album, Vol. 4
Family Photo Album, Vol. 5
Life on the Farm
Fun With the Slip'n'Slide
The Boys Discover Baseball
Down on the Farm
The Department of Journalism