Signum University

Position/Title: Signum SPACE Preceptor

  • Julian Barr's bespectacled smile reveals a dimple or two in his neatly-trimmed red-blond goatee. He wears a crisp blue shirt and grey jacket and stands partly turned toward his collection of books—young paperbacks and venerable old hardbacks—which are punctuated by a wee replica statue of Lupa suckling Romulus and Remus and a replica bronze helm which looks like the one on the cover of the Chickering Beowulf,but given Dr. Barr's interest in rem Romanorum, it might be Roman, so I'll have to ask him about that.

    Julian Barr

    After completing his PhD in Classical Studies at the University of Queensland and Graduate Diploma in Secondary Education at the Queensland University of Technology, Julian published the academic monograph Tertullian and the Unborn Child through Routledge, as well as several articles on classical mythology and rhetoric. A life-long devotee of fantasy, Julian also published the…

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  • Sam Roche appears to be a man of European descent sitting in front of a brightly lit window. He's been distracted by something off to his right and has turned his head to look at it with curiosity. His curly hair speaks of hobbit ancestry.

    Sam Roche

    Sam Roche is a lover of East-Asian languages and cultures. Immediately after high school, he embarked on a journey to South Korea that stood as a foundation for later explorations. Since that time, he has lived in Korea, China, and Japan while working and studying their respective languages. He currently holds a B.A. in TESOL…

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  • A warm and smiling woman offers a bundt-shaped seed cake fresh from the oven. Her bright eyes, gingham apron, and spotless kitchen tell us that this is a Mama on the go, leading the charge against chaos, one small child at a time.

    Sarah Monnier

    A Revisionist History of Sarah Monnier: From the Turkish National Opera to raising young musickers, Sarah Monnier has filled her life with joyful sound. She’s a voice performance artist, a composer of modern symphony, and has recently been offered a season as Guest Conductor of the Des Moines Philharmonic. Her publications include a new translation…

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  • A red-haired woman of Euriopean descent and a brindled cat of mysterious provenance with startling green eyes both gaze upward. A background of stars and galaxies supports their out-of-this-world attitude!

    Jennie Starstuff

    Jennie Starstuff spends a lot of time thinking about how atoms that comprise you, her, and all the other life on this planet share a common origin in the interiors of long-forgotten stars. While studying Astronomy at the University of Virginia, she discovered that there are few joys to match that of connecting with others…

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  • Tom Hillman looks grumpy enough for most holiday purposes, but he's sliding out of the frame to starboard, his white-haired, goatee'd, and bespectacle'd visage dwarved by shelves and shelves of books, almost all Tolkien and Tolkenia, with a radical all-in-one Chronicles of Narnia on a high shelf.

    Tom Hillman

    Born and raised in New York City, Tom Hillman knew the romance of myth, history, language, and the sea. For Tom Middle-earth was an adventure he was meant to find. He has had the privilege to teach Greek and Latin, the good fortune to publish articles on Roman History, Greek Biography and Tolkien, and the…

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  • Wes is a man of European descent whose bespectacled countenance is smiling with a gentle welcome. He sports a fine beard and moustache and his green open-necked button shirt suggests that he was just cozily reading some delicious novel and got swept away into the world. losing track of time itself.

    Wesley Schantz

    Experience tutoring at the writing center at Washington College and as the Graduate Writing Assistant at St John’s College, Annapolis. Currently teaching at The Community School in Spokane, WA.

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  • Shawn Gaffney, a scholar with salt-and-pepper hair and long beard sits outdoors wearing horn-rimmed glasses, a puffy dark jacket, and a faraway gaze.

    Shawn Gaffney

    Shawn Gaffney holds Masters degrees in Linguistics (Boston College) and Egyptology (New York University) and last year completed a Masters in Language and Literature from Signum University. With considerable coursework in these three areas of academia, Shawn has explored many topics specific to the ancient world, such as contact between different cultures, magic, and language…

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  • Robert Steed is a man of European ancestry dressed professionally in jacket and tie. He has wire glasses which look exactly as though he has had a book open since he was big enough to turn the pages. In fact, he looks a bit startled that we found him back here in some mysterious archives!

    Robert Steed

    Robert Steed holds a PhD in History of Asian Religions (Chinese Religions) from the University of Iowa Department of Religious Studies. He is Professor of Humanities, East Asian Cultures and Religions, at Hawkeye Community College and a lecturer in Asian and World Religions at the University of Northern Iowa. His research and teaching interests extend to East…

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  • Laurel Stevens partially hidden behind a book. She's in a library in front of a wealth of other books and she's lovingly clutching one with an old-looking binding, as if she is getting Old Book Fumes. She's peeking over the top of the beautiful cover and looking off to the right, as though to be sure no one is catching her!

    Laurel Stevens

    Laurel Stevens is an Events Coordinator and SPACE Preceptor for Signum University. Often found either reading something new or talking about reading something new, Laurel primarily works on Mythmoot, but lends a hand in other areas around Signum on occasion as well.

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