Sean Murphy
writer | educator | arts advocate
EDUCATION
George Mason University
Master of Arts
Focus: American Literature
George Mason University
Bachelor of Arts
Major: English
CURRENT PROJECTS
A Curious Inheritance––Memoir (in progress)
Late-Stage Capitalism is the Story of Sisyphus, But America’s The Hill and His Soul’s the Boulder––Full Length Poetry Collection (in progress)
The 1455 Writer’s Guide—Non-fiction (in progress)
PUBLICATIONS
BOOKS
This Kind of Man: Stories (Unsolicited Press, 2024)
Kinds of Blue (Kelsay Books, 2024)
Rhapsodies in Blue (Kelsay Books, 2023)
The Blackened Blues (Finishing Line Press, 2021)
Murphy’s Law, Vol. 2 (Bright Moments Books, 2017)
Murphy’s Law, Vol.1 (Bright Moments Books, 2016)
Not to Mention a Nice Life: A Novel (Bright Moments Books, 2015)
Please Talk about Me When I’m Gone: A Memoir (Bright Moments Books, 2013)
SELECTED ANTHOLOGIES
Revisiting the Elegy in the Black Lives Matter Era, This Is What America Looks Like, Lo-Fi Poetry Series: Poet Sounds, and Written in Arlington: Poems for Arlington, VA.OTHER PUBLICATIONS
Columnist and features editor for PopMatters.com (2006-2020)
Original work has appeared in numerous publications, including NPR, Salon, The Village Voice, USA Today, The New York Times, The Huffington Post, and AdAge.
Consumer Electronic Association’s Five Technology Trends to Watch (2008-2014)
Regular contributor to Dealerscope and Vision magazines (2007-2016)
Hosted video webcast series “The Intersection of Technology and Culture” (2008-2016)
*Complete list of poetry, short fiction, and criticism/essays available via seanmurphy.net/publishedwork
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
SHENANDOAH UNIVERSITY
Winchester, VA 2022-Present
Director of Story Center, Professor
Leads the Storytelling Initiative at Shenandoah University, which encompasses its podcast, Speaker Series, and MA program in Storytelling.
1455
Reston, VA 2017-Present
Executive Director
Founding Director of 1455, a literary non-profit that supports and celebrates storytelling. Organize all programming, which includes monthly author podcast, quarterly e-zine Movable Type, annual Storytelling Festival (which includes a Young Poets contest that features writers from around the world), and oversee day-to-day operations, including all marketing, communication, and strategy. More info and detail available via 1455litarts.org.
CONSUMER TECHNOLOGY ASSOCIATION (CTA)
Arlington, VA 2007-2016
Senior Manager, Industry Analysis
THE NPD GROUP
Reston, VA 1998 – 2007
Senior Manager, Tech & Entertainment
AOL
Dulles, VA 1995-1998
Executive Assistant to CEO
RECENT HONORS & RECOGNITIONS
CHSS Department of English Distinguished Alumnus, George Mason University (2019)
Four Pushcart Prize Nominations (2015-Present)
Two Best of Net (2021, 2023)
Memoir Magazine Prize for Books (2022)
RESIDENCIES & WRITING WORKSHOPS
Todos Santos Writers Workshop, Mexico: Faculty (2023)
Prospect Street, Vermont (2023)
Martha’s Vineyard Workshop at Lambert’s Cove (2023)
Noepe Center for Literary Arts, Massachusetts (2015-2016)
CONFERENCES AND SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
NPR All Things Considered (2011)
VA Festival of The Book (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)
George Mason Fall for the Book (2018, 2019, 2021)
City Lit Conference (2023)
ASJA Conference (2022)
CES (2004-2016)
1455’s StoryFest (2019-2023)
The PEN/Faulkner Literary Conversations Series (2021)
Fox 5 DC (2022)
On The Margin at WPFW 89.3 (2018)
WPKN Second Saturday Magazine with Bob Johnson (2016)
WordshedNYC Reading Series (2021)
Pivotal Moments Podcast: Leveraging Empathy and Creativity for Effective Communication (2021)
Day Eight: DC Poet Project (2019, 2020)
Georgetown University Lombardi Center Cancer Symposium (2013)
Peter Bullough Foundation Interview Series (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023)
Barns of Rose Hill: The Music Industry in the 21st Century (2019)
Barns of Rose Hill: Storytelling in the 21st Century (2020)
Barns of Rose Hill: Art During a Pandemic (2021)
Potter’s House DC: Writing Race and Resistance (2020)
*Complete list available upon request
COURSES TAUGHT
“Talking ‘Bout
My Generation: The 1960s”
Fall 2023
This course compares “Gen Z” with the “Boomers,” considering how these two generations compare in terms of values, beliefs, and attitudes. We’ll examine the cultural and political climate of the 1960s, a time of significant upheaval in American society that confronted civil rights, women’s liberation, and the Vietnam War, and also explore how your generation is confronting a range of challenges, such as climate change, gun control, and racial justice. We’ll spend time discussing the artistic and societal transformations that occurred across music, art, and fashion. Then, we’ll turn our attention to the youth of today and explore the different social, political, and cultural issues that shape your worldview. Icons like Bob Dylan, Andy Warhol, and Muhammad Ali (among others) were considered voices of their generation; which popular figures today serve these roles for you? We’ll also consider how technology has impacted the way we interact, then and now.
“Creativity
in Culture: How Art Shaped the 20th Century”
Spring 2024
This course takes a deep dive into History (mostly American, mostly the 20thCentury), and explore how creativity (via the arts) responds to it and, in some cases, changes the way we understand ourselves. We'll pay particular attention to how, at times, the media is more like entertainment and the arts function more like straight news. Starting in 1900, we'll proceed, decade by decade, identifying—and celebrating— examples of how those in creative spaces helped shape and inform popular culture. By identifying, exploring, and discussing these works, students will be able to articulate the ways history shapes culture—and vice versa.
FULL CV
Full CV is available upon request
