Laurie Rozakis
Encyclopedia
Dr. Laurie Rozakis is a writer of the "Complete Idiots" books and an expert on writing, grammar, usage, and test preparation. She earned her Bachelor of Arts
from Hofstra University
in 1973; her Master of Arts
from Hofstra in 1975; and her PhD
from the State University of New York
in 1984.
In addition to writing, Rozakis has been teaching for 38 years.
Rozakis's first work was a series of books for ARCO, many in test preparation (The New GED, College English Placement and Proficiency Exam, Reading Power: Getting Started, and Power Reading.) She continued writing widely on test preparation, most recently publishing three test prep books for elementary and middle-school students through Scholastic.
and Alicia Ostriker
for the Encyclopedia of Multiethnic American Literature. Her most recent scholarship was analysis of classic American novels for the PBS televisions series The American Novel (2007).
, being a grammar expert on Fox Good Day, New York, and being part of a panel on the CBS The Morning Show and another on the Maury Povich Show
.
She has been interviewed for Newsday
, The Los Angeles Times, The Sacramento Bee, The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, National Public Radio's Morning Edition, New York Daily News, The Newark Star-Ledger, Seventeen magazine, The New York Post, and The Dallas Morning News on grammar and test preparation.
, with whom she has collaborated on a few comic book stories, as well as The Complete Idiot's Guide to Office Politics (Alpha Books, 1998) (ISBN 0028623975). They have two children: son Charles "Chuck", and daughter Samantha "Sammi".
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Hofstra University
Hofstra University
Hofstra University is a private, nonsectarian institution of higher learning located in the Village of Hempstead, New York, United States, about east of New York City: less than an hour away by train or car...
in 1973; her Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
from Hofstra in 1975; and her PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
from the State University of New York
State University of New York
The State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...
in 1984.
Career highlights
Rozakis got her start as a writer in 1981, when she published a review book on the Advanced Placement exam in English Literature with ARCO. To date, she has published more than 100 books and articles.In addition to writing, Rozakis has been teaching for 38 years.
Rozakis's first work was a series of books for ARCO, many in test preparation (The New GED, College English Placement and Proficiency Exam, Reading Power: Getting Started, and Power Reading.) She continued writing widely on test preparation, most recently publishing three test prep books for elementary and middle-school students through Scholastic.
The Complete Idiots Guides
Between 1995 and 2003, Rozakis wrote more than a dozen books in the Complete Idiot's Guides series, including The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Creative Writing, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Research Methods and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Grammar and Style. She has revised many of the books for subsequent editions.Scholarship
Rozakis's early scholarship focused on writing, including articles on evaluating writing for SUNY Councils on Writing, The Missouri English Bulletin, Exercise Exchange, and Kansas English. Subsequently, she turned to early American literature, publishing “A New Source for Hawthorne’s Hester Prynne” in American Transcendental Quarterly: A Journal of New England Writers (1986). This was followed by “Puritan Punishment for Adulterous Conduct” in The Nathaniel Hawthorne Review (1990). In 2004, she wrote essays on Louis SimpsonLouis Simpson
Louis Aston Marantz Simpson is an American poet. He won the 1964 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his work At The End Of The Open Road.-Life:...
and Alicia Ostriker
Alicia Ostriker
Alicia Suskin Ostriker is an American poet and scholar who writes Jewish feminist poetry.Alicia is married to the noted astronomer Jeremiah Ostriker who taught at Princeton University...
for the Encyclopedia of Multiethnic American Literature. Her most recent scholarship was analysis of classic American novels for the PBS televisions series The American Novel (2007).
Video Instruction
Recently, Rozakis has combined her expertise with writing and speaking in a series of instructional videos. These include a 10 CD/video series: Upgrade Your Writing Skills (2006–07) and a 4 CD/Video series: SAT Subject Test, English (2008) for Video Aided Instruction.Speaking career
Rozakis has a flourishing career as a public speaker, giving frequent lectures, seminars, and interviews. Her television work includes serving as the “Vocabulary Judge” in the Word of the Day final contest on Live with Regis and KellyLive with Regis and Kelly
Live! with Kelly is a syndicated American television morning talk show, hosted by Kelly Ripa. The show has aired since 1983 in New York City and 1988 nationwide. Tony Pigg has been the show's announcer since its inception...
, being a grammar expert on Fox Good Day, New York, and being part of a panel on the CBS The Morning Show and another on the Maury Povich Show
Maury (TV series)
Maury is a syndicated American tabloid talk show hosted by Maury Povich.When the series first aired in 1991, the show was called The Maury Povich Show and was produced by MoPo Productions in association with Paramount Domestic Television...
.
She has been interviewed for Newsday
Newsday
Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
, The Los Angeles Times, The Sacramento Bee, The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, National Public Radio's Morning Edition, New York Daily News, The Newark Star-Ledger, Seventeen magazine, The New York Post, and The Dallas Morning News on grammar and test preparation.
Personal life
Rozakis is married to comic book writer and editor Bob RozakisBob Rozakis
Robert "Bob" Rozakis is a comic book writer and editor known mainly for his work in the 1970s and 1980s at DC Comics, as the writer of Mazing Man and in his capacity as DC's "Answer Man".-Biography:...
, with whom she has collaborated on a few comic book stories, as well as The Complete Idiot's Guide to Office Politics (Alpha Books, 1998) (ISBN 0028623975). They have two children: son Charles "Chuck", and daughter Samantha "Sammi".
Honors and awards
Rozakis has received a number of noteworthy awards, most recently being named the Town of Oyster Bay “Woman of Distinction” in the Arts (2008). She won The State University of New York Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1994 and number of fellowships, including several Joint Labor/Management Committee Individual Development Awards, a Porter Fellowship, a Farmingdale College Foundation Faculty Merit Award, and an Empire State Challenger Fellowship. Her career and life are profiled in the reference books Contemporary Authors and Something About the Author.Books
- New GED, College English Placement and Proficiency Exam (ARCO)
- Reading Power: Getting Started (ARCO)
- Power Reading (ARCO)
- Holistic Evaluation: A Primer, Kansas English (University of Topeka: Topeka, Kansas).
- The Complete Idiot's Guide to Office Politics (with Bob Rozakis) (Alpha Books, 1998) ISBN 0028623975
- The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Creative Writing (Alpha Books)
- The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Research Methods (Alpha Books)
- The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Grammar and Style (Alpha Books)
Articles
- “Holistic Evaluation of Writing: A Grading Practicum” Proceedings of the SUNY Council on Writing 3rd Annual Conference (pp. 97–112)
- “To Change the Things that Can be Changed.” The Missouri English Bulletin.
- “A Placement Writing Program,” Exercise Exchange (Utah State University: Logan, Utah.)
- “Establishing, Administering, and Holistically Scoring an English Placement Writing Assessment.” The Minnesota English Journal (St. Cloud State University, MN)
- “A New Source for Hawthorne’s Hester Prynne,” American Transcendental Quarterly: A Journal of New England Writers (1986).
- “Puritan Punishment for Adulterous Conduct” The Nathaniel Hawthorne Review (Vol. XV, No. 2, 1990).
- Essays on Louis Simpson and Alicia Ostriker for Encyclopedia of Multiethnic American Literature. Greenwood Press, Emmanuel S. Nelson, ed. (2004).
External links
- http://www.comics.org/search/advanced/process/?target=sequence&method=icontains&logic=True&order1=date&order2=series&order3=&title=&feature=&job_number=&pages=&script=Laurie+Rozakis&pencils=&inks=&colors=&letters=&story_editing=&genre=&characters=&synopsis=&reprint_notes=¬es=&start_date=&end_date=&pub_name=&country=us&pub_notes=&series=&series_notes=&tracking_notes=&publication_notes=&language=en&issues=&volume=&issue_date=&brand=&indicia_publisher=&price=&issue_pages=&format=&issue_editing=&isbn=&issue_notes=&is_indexed=NoneLaurie Rozakis] at the Grand Comics Database
- Rozakis's blog