Upon graduating from Lyons Township High School, I won the Gwendolyn Brooks Award for Poetry; this honor, coupled with professional publication in The American Goat literary anthology with "The First Time" and Harmony Literary Magazine, where I won the esteemed Guy Cooper Poetry Award for "Tree House Blues," all fueled the realization that I could and should write, dabbling in everything from poetry and short works of fiction to professional essays and lengthier works of fiction during and after my college years.  I completed my undergraduate degree in English at Culver-Stockton College before tackling a Master of Education degree at Graceland University. Currently, I am entering my nineteenth year as an educator, formerly as a German instructor and presently as a high school English teacher, working at East Leyden High School in the suburbs of Chicago.  I live in the northern suburb of Libertyville, Illinois, with my wife and daughter.

I recently published a Southern Gothic ghost story titled "Calamity James" in the Belle Reve Literary Journal, a work that was nominated for the prestigious Pushcart Prize.  In addition, two of my poems, "A Response to Charles Bukowski: Yes, I'm Drinking Today" and "The Bohemian Waitress," were featured in the 69th edition of the Burningword Literary Journal.  My short story "The Last Supper Redux" was a top-slot in Sanitarium Magazine, as was my short piece of flash fiction "Tall Boy" in Sirens Call.  I was also the featured author of the month for Burial Day Books as my short work of fiction "Dibs" held the top spot.  "Bulkhead Doors," a poem inspired by Suicide Prevention Month (September 2015), was published in The Corner Club Quarterly on November 1, 2015.

Insurgency is my debut novel, a speculative work of fiction that encompasses elements of urban suspense, thriller, and horror.  This novel was released by Bad Day Books, an imprint of Assent Publishing, on August 2, 2014, in print and all e-book platforms.  I just sold my second book, a novella titled Still House, a work that will come out in an anthology on Amazon before Christmas 2015.

I teach English I Honors and English III American Literature, and I have the pleasure of being the Head Girls' Softball Coach at Leyden (2 West Suburban Gold Conference Championships, 3 IHSA Regional Championships, 1 IHSA Sweet Sixteen, School-Record 30 Win Season, Recognized Twice on the Leyden Wall of Fame, and ESPN Fab 50 Team).  I sponsor a Socratic-style club called Think Tank.  In addition, I am also an Adjunct Professor at Concordia University Chicago.  Be sure to follow me on Twitter at @kurtschuett.