About the Contributor

Bernie Koenig teaches communications and philosophy at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario. He is originally from New York, where he attended the Manhattan School of music as a percussion major. He has a B.A. in philosophy with a minor in English from Long Island University and an M.A. in philosophy from the City University of New York. He completed further studies in philosophy and English at the University of Western Ontario.

His publications include feature journalism, press releases and pamphlets for political candidates, philosophy papers in academic journals, and CD reviews for Jazz Improv magazine. He has also produced a video entitled Drums: Melody, Harmony and Rhythm Through Time.

"It was fascinating and frustrating," says Bernie with regard to finding the subjects for the vignettes. He went on to say, "I belong to the International Association of Business Communicators, so I thought I could just contact people across the country. When fewer people responded than I anticipated I used my communication skills. I asked myself what kinds of people would my students want to read about? Given the diverse make up of the classes I thought a wide range of jobs should be represented: private sector; public sector; labour; big and small firms. So I called people I knew, got the local IABC network going, used the Yellow Pages, and completed the job."