James A. Berlin began his teaching career in elementary schools in Flint and Detroit, Michigan. After earning a Ph.D. in Victorian literature at the University of Michigan, he became an assistant professor of composition at Wichita State University. While there, he also served as first Director of the Kansas Writing Project, an affiliate of the National Writing Project. He next taught at the University of Cincinnati, where he was Director of Freshman English. Since 1987, he has been Professor of English at Purdue University.