Dr. Alan L. Steinberg (1944 - 2023) was an American author. He wrote the

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

for the

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

''The Falcon and the Sailor Boy'', which was composed by Paul Siskind. The opera was performed at

SUNY Potsdam The State University of New York at Potsdam (SUNY Potsdam or simply Potsdam) is a public college in Potsdam, New York, United States. Founded in 1816, it is the northernmost member of the State University of New York (SUNY) system, it is compo ...

in 2006 and starred Steinberg's former rhetoric student

Stephanie Blythe Stephanie Blythe (born 1970) is an American mezzo-soprano who has had an active international career in operas and concerts since the early 1990s. She is particularly associated with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, with whom she has perfo ...

Education and career

Steinberg earned a B.A. in English from the University of Hartford in 1965 and an M.A. in English from Washington State University in 1967. He taught writing and literature courses at Wenatchee Community College in central Washington for five years. He earned his

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

from

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The institution was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools. In 1912, it became the Carnegie Institu ...

in English in 1975, submitting a collection of original poems entitled ''Ceremonies'' as his dissertation. Steinberg was a

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

's English department, where he also served as the coordinator of the writing program. He taught courses in rhetoric and writing, creative writing, and professional writing. He was well known among master's students for his course on the Western film and novel genres. Steinberg previously taught at

Paul Smith's College Paul Smith's College is a private college in the hamlet/village of Paul Smiths, in the town of Brighton, Franklin County, New York, in the Adirondack Mountains. Established in 1946, Paul Smith's College offers academic degrees of Associate ...

Marist College Marist University is a private university in Poughkeepsie (town), New York, Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Marist was founded by the Marist Brothers, a Catholic Church, Catholic religious institute, in 1905 to prepare brothers for their ...

and

Idaho State University Idaho State University (ISU) is a Public university, public research university in Pocatello, Idaho, United States. Founded in 1901 as the Academy of Idaho, Idaho State offers more than 250 programs at its main campus in Pocatello and locations ...

. Steinberg wrote of his own travels and teaching: "I was born and raised in New York City, then lived and taught for a number of years in the mountains of Idaho and Washington, and now have learned to love the North Country ew Yorkas a place of rugged beauty and challenge. I teach a variety of writing and literature courses, all with the aim of helping students appreciate the beauty and power of a story well-told whether that story is found in the ''Old Testament'', in the ''Odyssey'', in ''Shane'', or in the students' next assignment."

Works

Steinberg published his first full-length stage play, ''The Road to Corinth,'' with Players Press in 1984. His debut collection of short fiction, ''Divided'' (Aegina Press), appeared in 1996, followed the next year by his novel about an introspective circus “freak,” ''Cry of the Leopard'' (St. Martin's Press). His second collection of poetry, ''fathering'' (Sarasota Poetry Theater Press), was published in 2000. Throughout his career, Steinberg also published essays, stories, poems, and dramatic pieces in more than fifty venues, garnering numerous regional and national prizes for them. His work appeared in these journals, among many others: ''Bellevue Literary Review, Blueline Magazine, Carolina Quarterly, Louisville Review, Poem, William & Mary Review, Wisconsin Review.'' Steinberg was the librettist, with composer Paul Siskind, of the opera ''The Sailor-Boy and the Falcon,'' which premiered in 2006 at SUNY Potsdam.

References

External links

Books by Alan Steinberg from Amazon.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Steinberg, Alan 20th-century American novelists American male novelists Idaho State University faculty Carnegie Mellon University alumni State University of New York at Potsdam faculty Paul Smith's College faculty Marist College faculty Novelists from New York (state) 20th-century American male writers