Stephen Mills is an innovative teacher, poet, and writer from Richmond, Indiana. He graduated from Hanover College with degrees in English Literature and Art, and received his MFA from Florida State University. Mills has published a book of poems and his work has been published in over 25 journals. He currently teaches English Composition at Full Sail University in Orlando, Florida, where he also oversees the curriculum and instructors. Mills strives to incorporate pop culture into his teaching and writing to engage students and audiences. He is actively involved in his local writing and poetry community.

1. You just go on your nerve.
-Frank O’Hara

2. Hi.
I’m Stephen Mills
and I’m an
innovative teacher
and poet who
believes in going on
your nerve.
This is my story.
Photo by Stephen Mills

3. I was born and
raised in
Richmond,
Indiana, which is
the RV capital of
the world.
I’ve never owned one.
Photo by edebell on Flickr

4. From a very young
age, I loved to read
and write. My first
poem included the
line, “My mother is
as pretty as a white
duck.” My first job
was shelving books at
the local library after
school where I
discovered even more
books to love.
Photo by austinevan on Flickr

5. I graduated from Richmond High School in 2001 and
headed to Southern Indiana to attend Hanover College.
It’s pretty. Photo by hanovercollege on Flickr

6. I majored in English Literature and minored in Art.

7. At Hanover,
I fell in love
with
modernism
and focused
a lot of my
study on
that period.
Photo by Stephen Mills

8. Photo by ell brown on Flickr
In 2003, I studied abroad. I spent a month in Stratford-
upon-Avon studying at the Shakespeare Institute.

9. Photo by steve-h on Flickr
I spent a second month researching James Joyce in
Dublin on a grant I received from Hanover College.

10. If you do not tell the truth about yourself, you
cannot tell it about other people.
-Virginia Woolf

11. At Hanover College, I also served as...
Editor of the campus literary magazine
Design Editor of the campus newspaper
Student Representative on the Community Arts
Committee
Co-leader of the Gay Straight Alliance
Writing Center Tutor
Mentor to International Students
Art Gallery Attendant

12. In 2005, I graduated from
Hanover College and
received the Senior
Alumni Award and the
Bucks English Award.
Photo by adam.declercq on Flickr

13. From college, I went
farther south to attend
one of the top graduate
creative writing
programs in the country.
In the summer of 2005, I
began course work at
Florida State University
in Tallahassee, Florida.
Don’t be fooled, it wasn’t
on the beach.
Photo by perpetualpain on Flickr

14. In the middle of
the Spanish moss
and palm trees, I
found my voice as
a poet. I took
risks with my
work and
explored the use
of pop culture in
poetry as a way to
connect with my
audience.
Photo by Fernando X. Sanchez on Flickr

15. At Florida State, I had the honor of working with many
fine poets including the National Book Award nominated
poet David Kirby.

16. At Florida State, I also worked as a Teaching Assistant
for the English Department for three years. This
required me to teach and design two courses each
semester for the First-Year Writing Program.
Photo by elaynab on Flickr

17. I taught various English Composition courses that
pushed students to think about their place in the world.
One course focused on multi-cultural issues and asked
students to examine stereotypes in film and television.
Bringing pop culture and current events into the first-
year writing classroom engages and motivates students.

18. Photo by Stephen Mills
I also designed and taught a course called Pop Poetry.
This was a freshmen writing course that got students
examining the use of pop culture in poetry beginning
with the 1950s and ending with contemporary poets.
Students also wrote their own pop poems in the course.

19. In 2006 while teaching
at Florida State, I
presented at the
National Council of
Teachers of English
conference. My paper
was titled “Yes, I’m Gay
and Your English
Teacher.” I spoke on a
panel about diversity in
the first-year writing
classroom.
Photo by Stephen Mills

20. In 2008, I graduated from Florida State University with
my MFA in creative writing. In my three years there, I
was nominated twice for teaching awards.
Photo by Fernando X. Sanchez on Flickr

21. My poems have been
published in over 25
journals including The
Antioch Review, The New
York Quarterly, and The
Los Angeles Review. In
2008, my poem “Iranian
Boys Hanged for
Sodomy, July 2005” was
awarded the Gival Press
Oscar Wilde Poetry
Award.
Photo by Stephen Mills

22. An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being
called an idea at all.
-Oscar Wilde

23. After graduate
school, I moved
to Orlando,
Florida (home to
Mickey Mouse).
In Orlando, I got
a job teaching
English
Composition at
Full Sail
University.
Photo by Stephen Mills

24. I’ve been at Full Sail University for three and a half
years. Full Sail is a non-traditional school that caters to
the entertainment industry. I’ve taught classes both on
campus and online and have adapted my teaching style
to the accelerated pace of the school and to the wide
range of students who attend.

25. Photo by Ross LaRocco on Flickr
Two years ago, I was promoted to Course Director of
English Composition at Full Sail University. I
currently oversee the curriculum for the course and
supervise sixteen instructors.

26. In March of 2012, my
first book of poems, He
Do the Gay Man in
Different Voices, was
published by Sibling
Rivalry Press. The book
had more pre-orders
than any book in the
press’s history and it is
continuing to sell well
and gain praise.

27. Praise for the book
"Strategically obnoxious and spectacle-driven, Stephen S. Mills’ debut
book of poems He Do the Gay Man in Different Voices takes a violent swing
at our queer sensibility. The only thing is we don’t want to duck. We
should be ashamed to delight in reading poems about Jeffrey Dahmer,
mindless Southern boys, creepy prison letters with inappropriate come-
ons. Full of admirable, comic self-loathing and even some hope, his
poems hurt us in ways we haven’t dreamed of. And we’re all the better
for it." --Steve Fellner author of The Weary World Rejoices

28. Praise for the book
"There’s a fortune teller in one of those poems who’s no good at her
trade. But who among us is? Everybody tries, but nobody can predict
the future. Yet a good book of poems can, in a way, and this is just such
a book, one that describes a world in which people of every kind adore
or at least put up with each other. Stephen Mills has a big heart, and I
love how he uses it. Oh, and he has the best titles: if 'My Boyfriend Tells
My Parents I’m Writing to a Gay Porn Star in Prison' doesn’t make you
shout, “More, please!” then nothing will." --David Kirby author of
Talking About Movies with Jesus

30. Another interest of mine is the study of pop culture.
I presented a paper on gay representations in reality
TV at the Pop Culture and American Culture
Associations in the South Conference in 2006. I’ve also
presented on the use of superheroes in poetry. I
continue to explore pop culture in my own work. For
example, I’ve written a series of poems using Brad Pitt
films.

31. I continue to keep myself informed and involved in
the poetry and teaching world. In March, I
attended AWP in Chicago and the Rainbow Book
Fair in New York City where I read from my book.
Photo by Dustin Carter

32. In 2009, I started my own blog where I write mostly
about poetry and the writing process. I also use the blog
to help promote poets I truly enjoy. One way I’ve done
this is through an interview series with emerging poets. I
also do podcasts of my work.

33. In my personal life,
I strive to be active
in the community
and to support
causes I care about.
In November of
2011, I completed
the Smart Ride,
which is a 165 mile
bike ride from
Miami to Key West
to raise money for
those with HIV/
AIDS.
Photo by Dustin Carter

34. Now I’m preparing
for the next step in
my journey. My
plan is to move to
New York City and
once again go on
my nerve.
Photo by Stephen Mills

35. Grace / to be born and live as variously as possible.
-Frank O’Hara