Dr. Barry Swanson is an assistant professor emeritus from Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. He received his Bachelor of Arts in English literature from Illinois Wesleyan University and a master’s degree in educational administration from Western Illinois University. He has served as president of the Carl Sandburg Historic Site Association and was a founding member of the Galesburg Public Art Commission, has published various articles and poetry for regional publications, and coauthored a textbook for a course in educational studies. Currently, he writes a column for a local newspaper in his hometown of Galesburg, Illinois, and is in the process of writing his second novel.
Preceding his professorship at Knox, he served in the United States Army, was an English teacher, basketball coach, and school administrator. He also served as a full-time lecturer in the College of Education at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, where he earned his Doctor of Education degree in 2001.
Barry and his wife, Gail, reside on Lake Norman in North Carolina. They have three children and five grandchildren.
Matthew Swanson began his musical career as the lead singer and songwriter for the Murfreesboro, Tennessee-based band, Folk Medicine. After a successful multiple-year run in the Nashville area, the band separated. Matthew has continued to write music during his hiatus from performing and is preparing to launch his latest songs and musical compositions, i.e. film/tv/commercial soundtracks. he collaborates with various artists and producers in the Nashville and Philadelphia areas.
Matthew is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University where he majored in University Studies and did extensive course work in Musical Production and song writing. He currently lives in Statesville, North Carolina
Boathouse Productions 