Born in Texas, but raised in Illinois, Patrick Garner is a loving husband and a proud father to three neurodivergent children. Having earned a MA in English from Western Illinois University, Patrick taught English as a second language in San Diego, South Korea, and Kazakhstan. After returning to the United States to complete a MA in Teaching, Patrick taught in both the Illinois and Georgia public school systems for over 20 years, working with thousands of students hailing from diverse cultures and different approaches to learning. In 2013, Patrick was recognized as one of Southwest Georgia’s Top 40 Under 40 due in part to his engaging teaching at Darton State College. That same year, Patrick was named Hotwing Eating Champion of Georgia after eating 17 wings in under two minutes. Patrick is also the reigning hotdog eating champion for Tucker, Georgia, and is happy to defend that title against allcomers. Between 2013 and 2019, Patrick ran over 90 marathons and ultramarathons, although eventually the preference for eating won out. In 2017, Patrick successfully defended his dissertation, Men of Genius: The Milesian School and the Origins of Western Secular Thought, earning a doctorate in Philosophy, Art, and Critical Thought (magna cum laude) from the European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland. Patrick has a never-ending rotation of fixations, often involving the arts and entertainment. He has a passion for 1920s German silent film and mid-20 th century European and Soviet cinema. Patrick is an avid reader, well-versed in the Western canon, and has recently renewed his love for creative writing, working on a novel told from the perspective of an ivory-billed woodpecker. Patrick is happiest outside in nature, in swimming pools, and at zoos admiring critically endangered wildlife and efforts to protect them.