About the Author
Ever since childhood, Joe Coxwell has been amazed by space science and astronomy. Born in 1956, just a year before the Soviets lofted Sputnik-1 into orbit, he was raised in small town Jackson, AL during the height of America's early space program and the Race to the Moon. All through elementary, middle, and high school, Coxwell followed the exploits of his hero astronauts with a passion. He was even present at the NASA viewing area at the Kennedy Space Center during the 1972 launch of the last Apollo mission to the moon, the night launch of Apollo-17. Because of his fascination with all things space, and his model rocketry hobby, most of his friends in high school affectionately tagged him with the nickname "Rocket Man."
In 1974, he entered Auburn University (Go War Eagles!) as a freshman in the pre-engineering program, determined to study aerospace engineering and prepare for a career in spacecraft design. However, as the termination of the Apollo program greatly curtailed the number of aerospace engineering jobs available at NASA, Coxwell made a major life decision change and enrolled in the College of Education at the University of West Alabama at Livingston (Go Tigers!) in the Natural Science Composite Bachelor of Science program, earning combined degrees in Chemistry, Physics, and Biology. He opted for enough elective hours in Geology and Environmental Science to end up with minors in both. The degree was extremely attractive as credentials for high school positions since his diverse background made Coxwell able to teach virtually anything in the science curriculum.
Consequently, it's no surprise that Coxwell's interests in reading tended mostly toward science fiction. He was an avid fan of SF greats like Authur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov. Later he discovered more recent writers like Frank Herbert, Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Charles Sheffield, James P. Hogan, Greg Bear, Gregory Benford, David Brin, and others. Coxwell began making his own attempts to write science fiction stories during high school Creative Writing classes. Positive feedback from his teachers encouraged him to write more, but other interests like his astronomical art work often took precedence. While at UWA, he wrote several features for the University's Paragon yearbook, and served for several years as a staff writer and feature editor of the Livingston Life student newspaper.
Coxwell taught for a number of years at Greene County High School in Eutaw, AL and Livingston High School while working on his Master of Arts in Teaching degree in Science from UWA. During the summers, he also taught classes as an adjunct instructor of Chemistry and Earth Science at the University of West Alabama. In 1984 he was selected to participate as a Josiah Macy Fellow in an additional Masters degree program, the Great Books-based Graduate Institute at St. John's College in Santa Fe, NM. While at St. John's, inspired by the enriching academic climate, and by the golden light and big sky visible from his dormitory balcony, he authored several science fiction short stories which were set in the Southwest. He performed them to student forums to enthusiastic reviews. Coxwell also received special recommendations on two of his academic papers written for the Graduate Institute, one of which entitled Doubting Darwin: Paleontological and Geochemical Evidences Against Gradualism in the Evolution Process was published by the College in an annual collection of winning student essays. The summers in New Mexico did much to stimulate his creative literary and artistic juices. However, Coxwell continued to hone his craft in virtual solitude, sharing his work only with family and a few close friends.
In the fall of 2001, Coxwell and his family relocated to Meridian, MS where he began teaching Chemistry and Physics at Northeast Lauderdale High School. New friends on the staff took a supportive interest in his short stories and astronomical artwork, and encouraged him to use his free time to continue to develop his writing and illustration skills. He found a wider audience when he joined the Meridian chapter of the Mississippi Writers Guild, taking advantage of the group's Literary Artists on Stage "open-microphone" events to share his stories. In the summer of 2007, Coxwell was awarded an honorable mention in the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future competition for his sci-fi tale entitled Third Contact, finishing in the top 10% of all the entries nationwide.
After around 37 years of teaching, Coxwell still enjoys the classroom and looks forward to working with his high school science students each day. At this point in his career, he still considers himself more of a teacher than a writer, but sees the similarities and opportunities for fulfillment in both. "My students keep me young at heart," he says. "Through them, I get to see the future every day."
Joe Coxwell has been happily married to his college sweetheart Patti for 32 years. They have one daughter, Joanna, who is currently a Theatre major at Meridian Community College. The Epsilon Wish is Coxwell's first novel.
Text from About the Author and accompanying photograph copyright © 2018 by Joe T. Coxwell.
All rights reserved.
In 1974, he entered Auburn University (Go War Eagles!) as a freshman in the pre-engineering program, determined to study aerospace engineering and prepare for a career in spacecraft design. However, as the termination of the Apollo program greatly curtailed the number of aerospace engineering jobs available at NASA, Coxwell made a major life decision change and enrolled in the College of Education at the University of West Alabama at Livingston (Go Tigers!) in the Natural Science Composite Bachelor of Science program, earning combined degrees in Chemistry, Physics, and Biology. He opted for enough elective hours in Geology and Environmental Science to end up with minors in both. The degree was extremely attractive as credentials for high school positions since his diverse background made Coxwell able to teach virtually anything in the science curriculum.
Consequently, it's no surprise that Coxwell's interests in reading tended mostly toward science fiction. He was an avid fan of SF greats like Authur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov. Later he discovered more recent writers like Frank Herbert, Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Charles Sheffield, James P. Hogan, Greg Bear, Gregory Benford, David Brin, and others. Coxwell began making his own attempts to write science fiction stories during high school Creative Writing classes. Positive feedback from his teachers encouraged him to write more, but other interests like his astronomical art work often took precedence. While at UWA, he wrote several features for the University's Paragon yearbook, and served for several years as a staff writer and feature editor of the Livingston Life student newspaper.
Coxwell taught for a number of years at Greene County High School in Eutaw, AL and Livingston High School while working on his Master of Arts in Teaching degree in Science from UWA. During the summers, he also taught classes as an adjunct instructor of Chemistry and Earth Science at the University of West Alabama. In 1984 he was selected to participate as a Josiah Macy Fellow in an additional Masters degree program, the Great Books-based Graduate Institute at St. John's College in Santa Fe, NM. While at St. John's, inspired by the enriching academic climate, and by the golden light and big sky visible from his dormitory balcony, he authored several science fiction short stories which were set in the Southwest. He performed them to student forums to enthusiastic reviews. Coxwell also received special recommendations on two of his academic papers written for the Graduate Institute, one of which entitled Doubting Darwin: Paleontological and Geochemical Evidences Against Gradualism in the Evolution Process was published by the College in an annual collection of winning student essays. The summers in New Mexico did much to stimulate his creative literary and artistic juices. However, Coxwell continued to hone his craft in virtual solitude, sharing his work only with family and a few close friends.
In the fall of 2001, Coxwell and his family relocated to Meridian, MS where he began teaching Chemistry and Physics at Northeast Lauderdale High School. New friends on the staff took a supportive interest in his short stories and astronomical artwork, and encouraged him to use his free time to continue to develop his writing and illustration skills. He found a wider audience when he joined the Meridian chapter of the Mississippi Writers Guild, taking advantage of the group's Literary Artists on Stage "open-microphone" events to share his stories. In the summer of 2007, Coxwell was awarded an honorable mention in the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future competition for his sci-fi tale entitled Third Contact, finishing in the top 10% of all the entries nationwide.
After around 37 years of teaching, Coxwell still enjoys the classroom and looks forward to working with his high school science students each day. At this point in his career, he still considers himself more of a teacher than a writer, but sees the similarities and opportunities for fulfillment in both. "My students keep me young at heart," he says. "Through them, I get to see the future every day."
Joe Coxwell has been happily married to his college sweetheart Patti for 32 years. They have one daughter, Joanna, who is currently a Theatre major at Meridian Community College. The Epsilon Wish is Coxwell's first novel.
Text from About the Author and accompanying photograph copyright © 2018 by Joe T. Coxwell.
All rights reserved.
