Mike Phoenix earned a BA in English from the University of Oregon in 1977 and an MFA in Theater in 1985 from the University of Southern Illinois at Carbondale. His original plays were presented in Portland; Arcata and San Francisco, CA; Chicago; Starkville, MS; St. Louis; Toronto, ONT; and Carbondale, IL. He went on to direct theater productions at Kirkwood High School in Kirkwood, Missouri, and taught remedial writing and college composition at St. Louis Community College at Meramec. Phoenix has spent the following 31 years with St. Louis Public Schools as an English Teacher, Technology Specialist, Professional Development Manager, and Computer Literacy Instructor. Phoenix and his wife, Rebecca, have three children, three grandchildren, and have made their home in St. Louis, Missouri since 1988. Phoenix earned his doctorate in education from the University of Missouri at St. Louis in 2016. His doctoral work at UMSL included his formal research study using comics to teach academic vocabulary to 8th grade students. His dissertation was presented in the form of five, serially produced comic books. Phoenix has written extensively on St. Louis comic book history. He has served on panels speaking on comics history, comics in education, and other comic-related topics at conferences and conventions since 2011. Mike loves comics, drawing, writing, playing electric blues guitar, mycology, long walks with Rebecca and time spent with family and friends.