Author of Back to Barron, a chronicle of growing up in small-town-and-rural mid-century America, Daniel E. Van Tassel graduated from St. Olaf College and earned his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Iowa. He taught at Pacific Lutheran University, California State University San Marcos, and Muskingum College. His scholarly publications include articles on Shakespeare, Hardy, Lawrence, and Beckett. Retired, he lives in Northfield, Minnesota, and now teaches courses in the Cannon Valley Elder Collegium program. Course subjects range from humor to poetry to nature writers. For recreation, he takes to trails daily on his mountain bike. He recently published Journey by the Book: A Guide to Tales of Travel.