Michael Gray joins HCTC English faculty
Michael Gray began teaching English this semester at Hazard Community and Technical
College after relocating his family from south Florida. This is an opportunity to
have a career doing what I love in a subject area I find irresistible. I welcome the
challenges of offering instruction and service to a new community and hope that I
can make positive contributions, Gray said.
The college s facilities are attractive to Gray. I was thrilled to find that most
instructional spaces in Jackson and Hazard are equipped with smart classroom technologies.
I ve grown accustomed to such features over the years for their research and presentation
benefits. The Telford Labs in Jackson are particularly useful, both in terms of their
equipment and personnel. I have also fallen under the spell of the HCTC libraries,
though given my major I suppose that was inevitable, he noted.
Gray has written several short fiction articles that have been published in various
places including The Baltimore Review, Carte Blanche, Foliate Oak Literary Magazine,
and The Rockford Review. His professional work also includes a Lawrence Sanders Fellowship
from Florida Atlantic University. His community service includes work with geriatric
residents and with children ages 8 to 13 in English and creative writing.
Gray earned his Master of Fine Arts degree from Florida Atlantic University in Boca
Raton, Florida and his bachelor s degree from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.
He has taught for Clark State Community College and was a Graduate Teaching Assistant
at Florida Atlantic University. He served as a copy editor for Nexus Literary Journal
at Wright State University.
Gray and his wife, Jennifer, and two sons live in Jackson. He has a range of interests
in terms of books, music, films, and physical activities. Japanese literature is one
of his more recent loves as well as playing guitar, but spending time with family
is always his top priority.