David Carkeet

Dave CarkeetDavid Carkeet has written six novels, a memoir, two young adult novels, and some three dozen essays. Hired in 1973 by the UMSL English Department to teach linguistics, he immediately began writing fiction and, less immediately, got published - Double Negative, his first novel, came out in 1980. At that point David began teaching creative writing, first at the undergraduate level and then in occasional graduate workshops, which led to the creation of an MFA program followed shortly afterward by the founding of Natural Bridge - two innovations suggested by Howard Schwartz. Looking back on his thirty years at UMSL, David vividly recalls specific stories, essays, and novels written by his students and energetically discussed in class. He also takes pride in the special prose issue of Natural Bridge, No. 6, that he guest-edited with the help of a bright student staff. That number contained work by the seasoned comic memoirist A.E. Hotchner as well as fiction by upstart John Dalton. David reports that the best decision of his career at UMSL was to hire Mary Troy.

Book Publications: 

Double Negative (The Dial Press, 1980; Penguin paperback reprint, 1982; Washington Square Press paperback reprint, 1991; Felony & Mayhem paperback reprint, 2005; Overlook Press paperback reprint, 2010; Mystery Guild combined edition with From Away, titled Double Carkeet, 2010). 
The Greatest Slump of All Time (Harper and Row, 1984; Penguin paperback reprint, Contemporary American Fiction Series, 1985).
I Been There Before (Harper and Row, 1985; Penguin paperback reprint, 1987).
The Full Catastrophe (Simon and Schuster, 1990; Washington Square Press paperback reprint, 1991; Overlook Press paperback reprint, 2010).
The Error of Our Ways (Henry Holt, 1997; Owl/Holt paperback reprint, 1998; Overlook Press paperback reprint, 2010).
From Away (Overlook Press hardcover, 2010, Overlook paperback, 2011; Mystery Guild combined edition with Double Negative, titled Double Carkeet, 2010).

Cover of the book "Double Negative" by David Carkeet, featuring colorful stacked blocks. Cover of the novel "The Greatest Slump of All Time" by David Carkeet, featuring three baseball players in striped uniforms looking dejected. Cover illustration of the novel "I Been There Before" by David Carkett, featuring a whimsical character floating in space with a pipe and a planet in the background. Book cover for "The Full Catastrophe" by David Carkeet, featuring a neatly made bed with a light-colored duvet and a minimalist design. Book cover for "From Away" by David Carkeet featuring a model train and a barn scene. Book cover for "The Error of Our Ways" by David Carkeet featuring an almond and a cashew nut against a black background.

 

Dave Carkeet online: 

You can find more about Dave Carkeet at his personal website