At times Winterowd is playful, and at other times he's the mordantly cynical critic--of the academy, of academicians, and of society in general. His attitudes are leavened by wit, and his insights are never mundane. ATTITUDES is for anyone who has become jaded by the gray monotone of much writing in our profession. W. ROSS WINTEROWD is the Bruce R. McElderry Professor Emeritus, University of Southern California, where he founded its PhD program in Rhetoric, Linguistics, and Literature. He has authored, coauthored, or edited many essays, reviews, poems, and books, including SEARCHING FOR FAITH: A SKEPTIC'S JOURNEY (2004, Parlor Press), SENIOR CITIZENS WRITING (2007, PARLOR PRESS), THE CULTURE AND POLITICS OF LITERACY (1989, OXFORD), AND THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT: AN INSTITUTIONAL AND PERSONAL HISTORY (1998, Southern Illinois). He has been leading writing workshops for seniors in Huntington Beach, California, since 1997. In 2010, he received the field's highest honor, the Exemplar Award, from the Conference on College Composition and Communication.