Portrait by Fred Koller

Novelist

He is author of the Something Gorgeous (Farfalla, McMillan & Parrish, 2005). This work of speculative fiction explored the background of the era that spawned The Great Gatsby, and was lauded for its invention by the UK’s Historical Novels Review. In 2013, in a slightly revised version, it became available as an e/book. “Aaron”, an excerpt from a work-in-progress, appeared in “Litscapes: Collected US Writings 2015” from Steerage Press. “A Thousand Eyes”, an eco-horror novel, was published in 2018 in the UK and US by Cosmic Egg Books, an imprint of John Hunt Ltd. His latest book is The Cold Last Swim, a work of alternative history (May 15, 2020, Gibson House Press).

Songwriter

“While You Were Gone” (2007, Red Thread Records) because of its lyrical content, was named by New York’s Bowery Poetry Club as one of the best CDs of that year. “Spot of Time”, a collection of original, poetically-based songs, was released in January 2018 on the New York-based Fast Speaking Music label, produced by Max Davies. His most recent recording, also produced by Davies, is the ep “America’s a Lonely Town” a set of songs composed in Nashville with Billy Panda.

Educator

In 2002, Burke was hired by Naropa University where he designed and implemented a highly successful low residency MFA degree in Creative Writing. After three years of directing Naropa’s low/res program, he was tapped to be Chair of the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics founded by poets Anne Waldman and Allen Ginsberg and served from January 2006 to June 2010. Burke founded the online magazine “not enough night” in 2005 and served as Executive Editor until 2014. As of 2017, he moved to Naropa’s expanding Interdisciplinary Studies program.

Novelist: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junior_Burke#Fiction>

Educator: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junior_Burke#Educator>

References: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junior_Burke#References>