Chris Torockio

Dr. Chris Torockio is a Professor of English at Eastern Connecticut State University, specializing in creative writing and contemporary fiction. He holds an M.F.A. from the University of Pittsburgh and a Ph.D. in Creative Writing and Contemporary Fiction from Western Michigan University. His research focuses on fiction writing techniques and pedagogy, with a strong emphasis on narrative innovation and character development.

Dr. Torockio has published four acclaimed works: the novels The Soul Hunters (2016) and Floating Holidays (2007), and short story collections The Truth at Daybreak (2008) and Presence (2000). His stories have appeared in prestigious literary journals such as Ploughshares, The Iowa Review, and The Gettysburg Review, earning four Pushcart Prize Special Mentions.

His teaching philosophy prioritizes student creativity and literary immersion, often employing a 'coaching' approach to nurture emerging writers. He leads the Creative Writing Abroad program in Florence, Italy, where students explore narrative through cultural immersion. Awards include grants from the Connecticut Commission on the Arts and residencies at the Vermont Studio Center.