Theodore Loeppert

Theodore Loeppert is the son of a Methodist minister who was also a comparative religions scholar and professor, and he therefore grew up in a scholarly and religious atmosphere—all of which thoroughly rubbed off on him. After he earned a Ph.D. at Northwestern University in 19th Century English literature, (a period when religion was a subject of great controversy) he taught for eight years at the University of Illinois in Chicago and at Valparaiso University in Indiana. He changed gears at that point and became a formal hearings officer with the Illinois Secretary of State until he retired in 2012. Religion, literature, and politics therefore, have governed his outlook and his poetry.