Brief Biography

Geraldine Cannon Becker has been teaching at UMFK since 2004. Geraldine earned her BA in English/Education in 1991 and her MFA in Creative Writing in 1998. In 2014, she earned her M.A. in Depth Psychology, with an emphasis on Jungian and Archetypal Studies.

Geraldine is the Editor of the Aroostook Review and LIFE Review/Rural U Writing Project. She previously taught at Central Virginia Community College, NorthWest Arkansas Community College, University of Arkansas, and at the Tamassee D.A.R. After School Program. She also worked with the Pennsylvania Children’s Center, as a Relief House Parent, and the English department at Winthrop University in South Carolina.

Geraldine has published a collection of poems, title Glad Wilderness. She has also co-edited a book to come out next year, Rape Culture 101: Programming Change. She hosts an annual Harry Potter Book Night/Haunt the Halls Presentation at UMFK; she leads SoulFlowering Workshops; she is certified to teach Journal to the Self courses through the Center for Journal Therapy; conducts Self-Defense Workshops; Rape Culture Awareness Presentations; Literacy Workshops/Presentations/Writers in the Schools (WITS) Program; she was awarded a UMFK Foundation Research Award in 2009; and holds her Secondary English Certification.

When asked what she does in her spare time, Geraldine says it best: “Most of the things I do for fun are also educational and interweave themselves into my teaching or writing, so I do not have a lot of “spare” time. I am an introverted person, so I need quiet time after spending a lot of time with people. I love to read, and I enjoy crafting, and spending time in nature. I practice some arts, and love talking with my creative children, and seeing their work. I research and write. I am fairly selective about what I watch on the screen, but among my favorites are Dr. Who; Star Wars; J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter; J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings; and Marvel Comics, etc. Fortunately, my husband shares many of my interests.”

Research Interests

Arts and Sciences: Jungian Depth Psychology and Archetypal Studies; Dreamwork, and SoulFlowering Workshops; Transformative Language Arts, and Arts-based Research; Writer’s in the Schools and Community Programs; Collaborative Learning, and Literacy Issues–WE LEARN, Women’s Perspectives, etc.; Appalachian Folk Healing Methods/Traditions/Tales; Gardening and Environmental Stewardship.

Distinctions & Associations

  • Fourth Focus on Faculty presenter, hosted by Blake Library: “A Transformative Experience: Self Reflections, Collaborative Inquiry, and Arts-Based Research.”
  • On the WE LEARN Advisory Board. Co-chair of Webinars 2020; 2021.
  • Co-Chaired the 2016 WE LEARN Conference: Women’s Self-Esteem
  • Co-Chaired the 2014 WE LEARN Conference: Women’s Literacy Gardens.
  • On the Women’s Perspectives selection committee, On the conference planning committee.
  • Member of the Board of Directors of WE LEARN, since 2014.
  • A member of the WE LEARN, national women’s literacy organization since 2004.
  • Transformative Language Arts Council Member, 2010; TLAN Member 2014-15.
  • UMFK Foundation Faculty Research Award, 2009–in recognition of valuable research and outstanding contributions to the cause of literacy in the St. John Valley–including WITS (Writers in the Schools) workshops, Collaborative Inquiry, and Arts-Based Research.
  • Teacher Certification in Secondary English

Selected Publications

  • “Introduction,” Geraldine Cannon Becker. (April, 2021). Composition series: LIFE review, volume one. G. C. & J. E. Becker, Eds., Fort Kent, ME: Old Sylvain House Press. ISBN 978-1735551111
  • Becker, G. C. & Becker, J. E. (Eds.) (April, 2021). Composition series: LIFE review, volume one. Fort Kent, ME: Old Sylvain House Press. ISBN 978-1735551111
  • Becker, G. C. & Becker, J. E. (Eds.) (August, 2020). Teaching college composition: Common assignment guidelines and strategies for meeting expectations. Fort Kent, ME: Old Sylvain House Press. ISBN 978-1735551104
  • “Introduction,” Geraldine Cannon Becker and Angel T. Dionne. (July, 2020). G. C. Becker & A. Dionne, Eds. Rape culture 101: Programming change. Ontario, CA: Demeter. ISBN 978-1772582277
  • “Summary of the Call and Response to a Bigger Picture Issue: An Essay on Rape Culture—Programming Change”,” Geraldine Cannon Becker and Jessica Boynton. (July, 2020). G. C. Becker & A. Dionne, Eds. Rape culture 101: Programming change. Ontario, CA: Demeter. ISBN 978-1772582277
  • Becker, G. C. & Dionne, A. (Eds.) (July, 2020). Rape culture 101: Programming change. Ontario, CA: Demeter. ISBN 978-1772582277
  • “Transformational Approach: Hanging Ourselves In Our Own Words,” Geraldine Cannon Becker. Modern Poetry and Beyond, Dr. Suman Jana, Ed. Enakshi Banerjee, Sec., Scholars’ Cooperative.
  • The Bigger Picture—Follow-up essay on Rape Culture, Call for writing: “Seeking Submissions to Help Change the Programming,” Geraldine Cannon Becker. WE LEARN Newsletter, April/May 2015.
  • The Bigger Picture—essay on Rape Culture, “Changing the Programming,” Geraldine Cannon Becker. WE LEARN Newsletter, August, 2014.
  • “Flying by Words—From the Front Porch to the Podium: Educational Individuation and Creative Endurance,” Geraldine Cannon Becker. Spring Journal: Women’s Voices, Vol. 91 (Fall, 2014).
  • “A Transformative Experience of Soulful Gardening: Cultivating with Mind, Body, and Spirit,” Geraldine Cannon Becker. Chrysalis: The Journal of Transformative Language Arts (Fall, 2014).
  • “Silent Commune,” Geraldine Cannon. Between Literary Review: Crossroads, Vol. 16. (Spring, 2013).
  • “Wellaway,” Geraldine Cannon. Between Literary Review: Crossroads Vol. 16. (Spring, 2013).
  • “Looking at You,” Geraldine Cannon Becker. Our Stories, Ourselves: The EmBODYment of Women’s Literacy—Adult Education Special Topics: Theory, Research & Practice in Lifelong Learning, Miller, Mev and King, Kathleen P. Eds., Information Age Publishing, Charlotte, NC. March, 2012.
  • “Enriching Lives,” Geraldine Cannon Becker. Empowering Women through Literacy:Views from Experience—Adult Education Special Topics: Theory, Research & Practice in Lifelong Learning, Miller, Mev and King, Kathleen P. Eds., Information Age Publishing, Charlotte, NC. March 1, 2009.
  • Various encyclopedia entries for The Facts on File Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction. Eds. Geoff Hamilton and Brian Jones. New York: Facts on File, 2009.
  • “Unmeasured Time,” Geraldine Cannon. From East to West:bicoastal verse (Fall, 2008).
  • Glad Wilderness, Geraldine Cannon. Plain View Press, Austin, TX (August, 2008).
  • “Storytelling.” International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, 2nd edition. William A., Darity Jr., Ed. 9 vols. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2008.

Educational Background

  • M.F.A., Creative Writing–Poetry, University of Arkansas, 1998
  • M.A., Depth Psychology–Jungian and Archetypal Studies, Pacifica Graduate Institute, 2014
  • B.A., English/Education, Winthrop University, 1991