Michael Kleen
Encyclopedia
Early Life and Education
Michael A. Kleen (born October 10, 1981) is an American folklorist, publisher, and social commentator. He was born in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and grew up in the northwest suburb of Des Plaines, Illinois
Des Plaines, Illinois
Des Plaines is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It has adopted the official nickname of "City of Destiny." As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 58,720. It is a suburb of Chicago, and is next to O'Hare International Airport...
. He received a B.A. in Philosophy in 2006 and M.A. in History in 2008 from Eastern Illinois University
Eastern Illinois University
Eastern Illinois University is a state university located in Charleston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1895 as the Eastern Illinois State Normal School, a teacher's college offering a two-year degree, Eastern Illinois University gradually expanded into a comprehensive university with a...
in Charleston, Illinois
Charleston, Illinois
Charleston is a city in and the county seat of Coles County, Illinois, United States. The population was 21,838 as of the 2010 census. The city is home to Eastern Illinois University and has close ties with its neighbor Mattoon, Illinois...
, and a M.S. in Education in 2011 from Western Illinois University
Western Illinois University
Western Illinois University is a public university founded in 1899 as Western Illinois State Normal School. Like many similar institutions of the time, Western Illinois State Normal School focused on teacher training for its relatively small body of students. As the normal school grew, it became...
in Macomb, Illinois
Macomb, Illinois
Macomb is a city in and the county seat of McDonough County, Illinois, United States. It is situated in western Illinois southwest of Galesburg. The population was 18,588 at the 2000 census. Macomb is the home of Western Illinois University.- Geography :...
.
While at Eastern, Michael began writing about local folklore, founded the publishing company Black Oak Press Illinois, and wrote a bi weekly column for the Daily Eastern News. From 2004 to 2007, he was head of an informal group at EIU that visited allegedly haunted places around Coles County, Illinois
Coles County, Illinois
Coles County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 53,873, which is an increase of 1.3% from 53,196 in 2000. Its county seat is Charleston, which is also the home of Eastern Illinois University....
. In 2005 he wrote and published Tales of Coles County, Illinois, a collection of short historical fiction stories set in Coles County. He also authored "The Legend of Pemberton Hall" in 2008, a stand-alone electronic article highlighting the ghost story surrounding Eastern Illinois University’s Pemberton Hall
Pemberton Hall
Pemberton Hall is a women's residence hall at Eastern Illinois University, in Charleston, Illinois. Located at the north end of EIU's campus, at the corner of 4th street and Lincoln Avenue, Pemberton Hall is as a historic landmark, due to its status as the oldest women's college residence hall in...
, which is the oldest all-female dormitory in the State of Illinois.
In the fall of 2007, Michael presented a paper on Copperheads (politics)
Copperheads (politics)
The Copperheads were a vocal group of Democrats in the Northern United States who opposed the American Civil War, wanting an immediate peace settlement with the Confederates. Republicans started calling anti-war Democrats "Copperheads," likening them to the venomous snake...
at the 2007 Conference on Illinois History in Springfield, Illinois. His presentation led to being a featured commentator on the subject for an article on Charleston’s historical mural depicting the Charleston Riot
Charleston Riot
The Charleston Riot occurred on March 28, 1864, in Charleston, Illinois, after Union soldiers and local Republicans clashed with local insurgents known as Copperheads. By the time the riot had subsided, nine were dead and twelve had been wounded.-Copperheads:...
of 1864. He also gave a presentation on local folklore at the Charleston Middle School, which made front page news in the Times-Courier.
Recently, Michael’s publication, the Legends and Lore of Illinois, has gained attention around the state of Illinois, and was featured in the Effingham Daily News and the Streator Times.
Black Oak Media
In 2006, Michael founded a publishing company called Black Oak Media, which was incorporated five years later. Between 2007 and 2010, the company produced publications like Black Oak Presents (a journal of middle American art and culture) and the Legends and lore of IllinoisLegends and lore of Illinois
The Legends and Lore of Illinois was a monthly newsletter written and published by Michael Kleen between 2007 and 2010. In all, 47 issues were produced. Each issue discussed an allegedly haunted location in Illinois and featured the continuing adventures of a fictional team of paranormal...
, a monthly serial devoted to areas of interest in the folklore of Illinois. Black Oak Media began formally publishing book titles in the summer of 2011.
Commentary
Michael’s opinion columns have appeared in newspapers such as the Daily Eastern News, the Daily Egyptian, and the Rock River Times, and on websites such as Strike-the-Root, WorldNetDailyWorldNetDaily
WorldNetDaily is an American web site that publishes news and associated content from a U.S. conservative perspective. It was founded in May 1997 by Joseph Farah with the stated intent of "exposing wrongdoing, corruption and abuse of power" and is headquartered in Washington, D.C.-History:In...
, C4SS.org, Lost Liberty Café, and VDARE
VDARE
VDARE.com, or VDARE, is a website that advocates reduced immigration, especially illegal immigration, into the United States. Former Forbes editor Peter Brimelow supports the site through his VDARE Foundation, also known as Lexington Research Institute Limited...
. He is currently the Friday guest editor at Strike-the-Root.com.