Lewis Frumkes is an American educator,

humorist A humorist is an intellectual who uses humor, or wit, in writing or public speaking. A raconteur is one who tells anecdotes in a skillful and amusing way. Henri Bergson writes that a humorist's work grows from viewing the morals of society ...

and writer. He was born in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

and attended a number of institutions such as

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, and

Pace University Pace University is a private university with campuses in New York City and Westchester County, New York, United States. It was established in 1906 as a business school by the brothers Homer St. Clair Pace and Charles A. Pace. Pace enrolls about ...

. He earned his

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

and master's degree in English and philosophy from

Frumkes currently sits on the editorial board of The Writer Magazine and holds memberships with the

American Society of Journalists and Authors The American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) was founded in 1948 as the Society of Magazine Writers, and is the professional association of independent nonfiction writers in the United States. History The organization was established in ...

, the

National Association of Science Writers The National Association of Science Writers (NASW) was created in 1934 by science journalists and reporters. The mission of NASW is "to improve the craft of science journalism and to promote good science reportage". It has been called, "the nation ...

, the

Authors Guild The Authors Guild is the United States' oldest and largest professional organization for writers and provides advocacy on issues of free expression and copyright protection. Since its founding in 1912 as the Authors League of America, it has coun ...

, Harvard Club of New York, Mensa, the Authors League of America, and

P.E.N. PEN International (known as International PEN until 2010) is a worldwide association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. The association has autonomous Internation ...

Career

Frumkes first worked on Wall Street as a runner and bodyguard, then became a free-lance writer in 1976, publishing articles for magazines and papers such as Harper's, The New York Times, Cosmopolitan and Harper's Bazaar. Starting in 1986 he joined the faculty at

Marymount Manhattan College Marymount Manhattan College is a private college on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. As of 2020, enrollment consisted of 1,571 undergraduate students with women making up 80.1% and men 19.9% of student enrollment. Columbia University Masters ...

teaching honors critical thinking and was appointed President's Distinguished Visiting Lecturer. In 1988, Frumkes began teaching at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. That same year, he began hosting the ''Lewis Burke Frumkes Show'' on WNWK in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. The show eventually moved to WPAT where it continues to air. In 2011 Frumkes transferred to Hunter College in New York City where he became Director of The Writing Center CE. In 2018 Hunter College renamed The Writing Center in his honor, “The Lewis Burke Frumkes Center For Writing And Culture."

Selected bibliography

* ''Wall Street Laid Bear'' (1970) * ''How to Raise Your I.Q. by Eating Gifted Children'' (1983) * ''Name Crazy'' (1986) * ''The Mensa Think Smart Book'' (with Abbie Salny) (1986) * ''Manhattan Cocktail'' (1989) * ''Favorite Words of Famous People'' (2011) * ''Metapunctuation'' (1993) * ''The Logophile's Orgy: Favorite Words of Famous People'' (1995) * ''Advice for Young Writers'' (2015)

Personal life

Frumkes married Alana Martin on June 25, 1966.

References

External links

Official Website
from the

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

"A Volley of Words" by Lewis Burke Frumkes
from

Harper's Magazine ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the United States. ''Harper's Magazine'' has ...

*''Contemporary Authors Online'', Gale, 2009. Reproduced in ''Biography Resource Center''. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2009

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frumkes, Lewis Burke American humorists Pace University alumni Columbia University alumni New York University alumni Harvard University faculty Living people Mensans Year of birth missing (living people)