Palm, Carl 1949- (Carl Robert Palm)

views updated

Palm, Carl 1949- (Carl Robert Palm)

PERSONAL:

Born August 17, 1949, in Anaheim, CA; son of Robert D. Palm (a business person) and Anna Jordan (a homemaker); married Suzette Brunet (in sales), April 12, 1980; children: Berkeley, Morgan. Ethnicity: "Caucasian." Education: University of California at Santa Barbara, B.A., 1971; University of Toronto, M.A., 1972, Ph.D., 1976; University of Texas at Austin, M.B.A., 1985. Politics: Independent. Hobbies and other interests: Sportfishing, bodybuilding, wine.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Austin, TX. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Franklin Federal Bancorp, Austin, TX, vice president, 1985-1991; Palm Agency, Austin, agent and owner, 1991-2005; Austin Insurance Group, Austin, director of marketing, 2005—.

MEMBER:

Phi Beta Kappa; California Library Association, American Studies Association.

WRITINGS:

The Great California Story: Real-Life Roots of an American Legend, Northcross Books (Austin, TX), 2004.

This Day in California History, Northcross (Austin, TX), 2008.

SIDELIGHTS:

Carl Palm is an American writer living in Texas. Born on August 17, 1949, in Anaheim, California, Palm is a fourth-generation Californian, his family having lived in the Anaheim area since the late nineteenth century. In 1971, Palm earned a bachelor of arts degree in English at the University of California at Santa Barbara. He then moved to Canada, earning both a master of arts degree in 1972 and a Ph.D. in English in 1976 from the University of Toronto. Palm eventually returned to the United States and completed an M.B.A. in 1985 from the University of Texas at Austin.

Upon graduation, Palm accepted a position with the Franklin Federal Bancorp in Austin, ultimately becoming a vice president there. He held that position until 1991, when he started his own company, the Palm Agency. He worked as an agent with his firm until 2005, when he moved to become the director of marketing with the Austin Insurance Group. Despite living in Texas, Palm retains a connection with California by being a member of the California Library Association. He is also a member of the American Studies Association.

Palm published his first book, The Great California Story: Real-Life Roots of an American Legend, through Northcross Books in 2004. His second book, This Day in California History, was published by Northcross in 2008.

Carl Palm told CA: "My formal training has been in English and business, and for reasons I'm not completely clear about myself, my exclusive writing interest to date has been California. Not just anything about California, but specifically the real-life facts that have, over time, gone into the making of the ‘idea’ of California. California has long loomed large in the American imagination, of course. Just why that is the case, and the specific facts of California life that have driven that phenomenon, is my subject."

When asked what first got him interested in writing, Palm responded: "Actually, I can't remember a time when I wasn't interested in writing. In sixth grade I won a citywide essay contest about "water conservation." In middle and high school I wrote poetry, some of which was published in national anthologies.

"Just about everyone I read influences my work, especially those who write about California. In particular, I have long been a big fan of the work of Kevin Starr and Mike Davis. The book that got me started writing about California, however, was The Last Days of the Late, Great State of California by Curt Gentry (1968). I still re-read it from time to time.

"‘Layered’ might be one word to use to describe my writing process. I start with a bulleted outline, compose each paragraph directly on my computer, then print off the result and take a red pen to it. This goes on until I like what I see.

"The most surprising thing I have learned as a writer is just how hard it is to get published, for one thing, and just how small a role good writing plays in the process until you are.

"My favorite of my books is The Great California Story, and probably always will be. It was my firstborn and I worked on it, off and on, for more than twenty years. I also think some of my best thinking is found there.

"It's still too early to tell, but I would like to be one of those writers about California whose work comes up whenever the subject of California does. Not everyone will agree with my approach and conclusions—actually, I hope they don't—but they will think of me and my work as an ongoing and permanent part of that conversation."