James Farnen's Bio
by James Farnen
I graduated from Houston High School in Memphis, Tennessee in 2001, came back home to Kansas and became an avid Jayhawk. I graduated from the University of Kansas with my bachelors in English in 2005, trekked up to Fairbanks, Alaska with my wife and new baby that summer, and attended the University of Alaska at Fairbanks as a graduate teacher in composition and a full time student of creative writing. Family misfortunes brought us back home to Kansas early and after half a semester in KU’s writing program I had to withdraw to work full time so I could help raise my family. Finally realizing that my calling in life was teaching, I slapped myself in the face, quit my job as a manager at a package delivery company, and was accepted to Emporia State University Alternate Route to Teaching program. I am now fully licensed to teach the greatest subject in the world (English) to some of the greatest students I have ever met, and this is my third year teaching.
My wife, Debi, and I now have four children. Breck is six and will be starting first grade. He is fast becoming a superhero aficionado and a Wii sword fighting expert. Emilynn is four, and loves to draw (mostly on walls and furniture) and play in the mud without asking. Liam is two and likes Starfall's online reading program. Juliette is our newest addition, born on May first of last year. She is fast and difficult to catch and has a fondness for unraveling toilet paper. Our plan is to have one child for every household chore. Right now we have one for the lawn mowing, one for dishes, one for sweeping/mopping, and one who can take care of the laundry. Now all we need is a child to dust and do light cooking and we will have fulfilled our lifelong dream of free housekeeping.
