I am a Professor of English (retired), technical writer and contributing editor. As a teacher, writer, and a lifelong student of language, I have pursued a special interest in linguistics, particularly the mysteries of syntax as a distinct genre, or meta-dialect, created and implemented by those who are new to writing and speaking English. In 1990, I earned an MFA in creative writing at George Mason University, and later as corporate editor and technical writer for US Filter / Vivendi in Palm Desert, California, hundreds of my scientific, technical, and marketing pieces were published in industry journals. My collection of short stories, "Society of One," was published in 2006, and - as a freelancer - I continue to write, edit and proofread a wide variety of documents for diverse audiences.