Justin Blessinger
Justin Blessinger
Professor / Undergraduate Coordinator for English / Advisor for Trojan Times
Department
College of Arts & Sciences
Education
Ph.D., University of South Dakota
M.A., Emporia State University
B.A., Tabor College
Biography
Justin L. Blessinger teaches creative writing, modernist lit, media studies, and literature of the British Isles. Winner of the 2008 Doug Fir prize for fiction, he also publishes poetry; his work has appeared in The Bear Deluxe Magazine, South Dakota Review, and in the anthology In Our Own Words.
Dr. Blessinger brings a wealth of experience in accessibility issues, development, and communication. A native of northeastern Montana, he is the Director of the DSU AdapT Lab for Accessible Technology, he is responsible for the development of a beta version of the “Goto” navigation assistance app we plan to deploy. He is certified in Accessible Information Technology by EASI (Equal Access to Software and Information). He is one of 5 founding members of the DSU Barrier-Free Learning Committee, established to create a proactive forum for innovative solutions to accessibility needs and to advocate on behalf of disabled students.
He is the author of a software plug-in for Microsoft Word that improves feedback on writing. He is a champion for the regional Go Baby Go program, providing modified electric “cars” for children with disabilities.
In collaboration with Dr. Chris Olson, they have created a series of rubrics that digitally submit assessment data for accreditation and internal assessment to a cloud-hosted database. Their work was recently featured at a Higher Learning Commission conference. He is equipped with the electrical, mechanical, and fabrication know-how common to those, like him, who were raised on remote ranches. He has a record of working well with varied groups to accomplish collective goals.
Contact
Office Location: Tunheim Classroom Building
Phone: (605) 256-5270
Email
Website
Scholarly Honors & Awards
DSU “LITE” award for excellence in teaching, student-nominee Megan Yellow Boy
The Ernest M. Teagarden Award for Excellence in Teaching
Person of the Year. Time Magazine. 2006
English Department Memorial Scholarship, USD, 2003
Dorothy Baisch Selz Memorial Fellowship, USD, 2002
Betty Beasom Crew Scholarship, USD, 2001
ESU Academic Fellowship 1999, 2000
Tabor College Humanities Divisional Award, 1996
Tabor College Academic Award, 1992-1996
Creative Writing Honors & Awards
2008 1st Prize “Doug Fir Fiction Award” Bear Deluxe Magazine.
2004 South Dakota Review nominee / Otto Penzler’s Best American Crime Writing
AWP Intro Journals, USD nominee, poetry, 2003
AWP Intro Journals, USD nominee, creative nonfiction, 2003
Best New American Short Fiction, USD Nominee, 2003
AWP Intro Journals, USD nominee, creative nonfiction, 2001
Roma Dove Award for Creative Writing, ESU, 1999
2020 i6 Development Grant. SD Governor’s Office of Economic Development. Amount: $25,000
2020 South Dakota Humanities Council grant to host South Dakota Writers Series at DSU and in Madison, in partnership with Madison Area Arts Council. Shifted online during Covid. Amount: $6,000
2016-17 South Dakota Community Foundation Grant. Goto beacon app development. Amount: $10,000
2012 College of Arts & Sciences Research Grant.
2007-08 DSU Faculty Research Initiative grant recipient. Publication Support Project.
2006-07 South Dakota Governor’s Seed Grant Recipient (50% release time and two months’ additional salary). Software Project: Semi-Automated Grading Software and Installation Package. Approximate amount: $45,000
2006-07 Faculty Sponsor, Brett Kearin, DSU Student Research Initiative. Software Project: “Systems for Debate by Kearin.”
2005-06 DSU Faculty Research Initiative grant recipient. Novella Project: “The Favorite.”
“General William H. H. Beadle: Abolitionist, Soldier, Statesman, Educator.” The Plains Political Tradition: Essays on South Dakota Political Culture. Jon K. Lauck and Paula M. Nelson, eds. South Dakota State Historical Society Press. 2022.
“What South Dakota Can Teach America.” American Greatness. 14 March 2021. Essay. Online.
“Facebook Comes for Geography.” American Greatness. 27 Feb. 2021. Essay. Online.
“A Bat Infestation in the Time of COVID-19.” American Greatness. 10 April 2020. Essay. Online.
“Funeral for a Lost Child on the Reservation.” The Tishman Review. Winter / Spring 2019. Poem. Print.
“Remembering 1968, Another Sour Year.” RealClearBooks.com 20 Dec. 2018, With Joseph Bottum. Essay.
“Sour ’68.” University Bookman. 16 Dec. 2018. With Joseph Bottum.
“Running Away with the Circus.” Humanities, National Endowment for the Humanities, Fall 2018, Vol 39.4, pgs. 26-32. With Joseph Bottum. Essay. Print.
“Crossings” Mulberry Fork Review. #6. April 2017. Fiction.
“Cutty Sark” Up the Staircase Quarterly. #30. November 2015. Poem.
“Nat Love’s Slow Night on the Pullman” Up the Staircase Quarterly. #28. January 2015. Poem.
"Toward Xenon" Orlo. Pacific Northwest Regional Arts & Culture Council, 2 Nov. 2013. Web. By permission from The Bear Deluxe Magazine. 14 Jan. 2014.
“Toward Xenon”. The Bear Deluxe Magazine. Ed. Tom Webb. January 2014. 29. Poem. Print.
The Favorite. Novella. Kindle Direct Publishing. 2012.
“A Fury of Grackles.” The South Dakota Review. Ed. Brian Bedard. Summer 2011. Poem. Print.
“Dog Patch.” In Our Own Words: A Generation Defining Itself, vol. 8, edited by Marlowe Pearse Weaver and published by Perfect Paperback, ISBN 0965413683. 2010. Creative nonfiction.
“For Bryan.” New Tricks. 2010. Poem. Print.
“Winter Count.” The Bear Deluxe Magazine. Ed. Tom Webb. August 2009. 29. Fiction. Print.
Three Meditations. “On the Etymology of ‘Mansions’ in John 14:2”; “On Biblical Hebrew Punning Usage of Canaph in the Book of Ruth”; “On Thirst, Wounding, and the Problem of Pain in Psalm 42.” Tabor College Centennial Devotional. 2009.
“Bobblehead Jesus.” The South Dakota Review. Ed. Brian Bedard. Winter 2008. Fiction. Print.
“Powwow Highway” The Encyclopedia of American Indian Literature. Ed. Jennifer McClinton-Temple. New York: Facts on File, 2007.
“Walking the Rez Road” The Encyclopedia of American Indian Literature. Ed. Jennifer McClinton-Temple. New York: Facts on File, 2007.
“Bobblehead Jesus.” Proceedings of the 38th Dakota Conference on History, Literature, Art, and Archaeology. Sioux Falls: The Center for Western Studies, 2006.
Blessinger, Justin L., Deana Hueners-Nelson, Nancy Moose, Maureen Murphy, and John S. Nelson. "Implementing Wireless, Networked Learning Communities." International Journal of Technology, Knowledge and Society, 1, UC Berkeley, (2005).
“The Waste Land.” A Companion to Twentieth-Century American Poetry. Ed. Burt Kimmelman. New York: Facts on File. 2005.
“Posse Comitatus.” The South Dakota Review. Ed. Brian Bedard. Summer, 2004. Fiction. Print.
Published Software
Goto for Android. Alpha, Winter 2016. https://gotoapp.org/
Semi-Automatic Grader. Multiple versions. Word 2003, 2007, 2010 and 2013 editions; Windows XP, Vista, Seven, and 8 packages. Single and site licenses available. First released 2007.
Semi-Automatic Grader for Student Editors. Multiple versions. Word 2003 and Word 2007 editions; Windows XP and Vista packages. First released 2008.
Cited In
Mathis, Joel and Boychuk, Ben. “Debate: Ebooks and the Future of Democracy.” Newsday. 2 Feb. 2012.
Vojak, Colleen; Sonia Kline, Bill Cope, Sarah McCarthey, Mary Kalantzis. “New Spaces and Old Places: An Analysis of Writing Assessment Software.” Computers and Composition 28 (2011) 97–111.
Baker, Jeff. "Doug Fir Fiction Award Guidelines Announced." OregonLive.com. The Oregonian, 17 July 2009. Web. 19 Feb. 2017.
Bastinptc. "'Winter Count' by Justin Blessinger." Blogspot, 18 Nov. 2009. Web. 19 Feb. 2017.
Arch, Sadie. "Social Networking V: Multiple Titles" Currents in Electronic Literacy. Randall McClure and Lee Tesdell, Eds. 2007.
Scholarly Presentations, Media Appearances
“Beadle the Veteran in South Dakota.” Images of the Past: Swords & Plowshares: South Dakota & The Civil War. South Dakota Public Broadcasting. Season 8, episode 7 First Airdate: April 07, 2022.
“Infodemics: Managing Information Overload.” KELOLand Living. May 14, 2021.
“General W.H.H. Beadle.” In the Moment. Lori Walsh. South Dakota Public Broadcasting. April 2021. Radio broadcast.
“The AdapT Lab at DSU: Innovation with Compassion.” Dakotas AER (Association for Education and Rehabilitation) conference. Oct. 28-30, 2020.
“The Everyday Value Model for Student Learning Assessment”. Association for the Assessment of Learning in Higher Education (AALHE) 2017 Annual Conference. Louisville, KY. 13 June 2017.
“Student Learning Assessment: Minimal Assembly Required”. Higher Learning Commission Annual Conference. Navigating the Future. Chicago, IL. 1 Apr. 2017.
“Literary Soundtracks: Synthesized Learning in the Literature Class.” Minnesota Writing and English Conference. Sources of Engagement. Inver Hills, MN. 26-27 Mar. 2015.
“The Public and Private Monument as Marker of Identity in James Joyce’s ‘The Dead’. Midwest Modern Language Association Annual Conference. Detroit, MI. 13-16 Nov. 2014.
“Reading Strategies and Common Core Test Generation: How the Sausage is Made.” Featured Speaker. Prairie Valley Reading Council. 20 Oct. 2014.
“Anything but PowerPoint?” Great Plains Alliance for Computers in Writing. Dakota State U, Madison, SD. 21 October 2011.
“English and New Media: So How's the Honeymoon Going?” Panel Discussion. Great Plains Alliance for Computers in Writing. Dakota State U, Madison, SD. 21 October 2011.
“Closing the Feedback Loop: Streamlining Writing Submission and Return,” South Dakota Council of Teachers of English Spring Conference. Chamberlain, SD. 27 Feb 2010.
“Practical and Pedagogical Tools for Teaching in a Mobile Computing Environment.” Invited Trainer. Multiple sessions. Northern State U, Aberdeen, SD. 15-16 May, 2009
"Microphones, Macros and Acrobats: Grading Essays on the Computer," South Dakota Council of Teachers of English Spring Conference. Chamberlain, SD. 28 Feb 2009.
“Cutting Plagiarism off at the Pass.” 50th Annual Conference of the Midwest Modern Language Association. Minneapolis Marriot City Center, Minneapolis, MN. 13-16 Nov. 2008.
“iMacro Browser Plug-in: Research Facilitator, Anti-plagiarism Tool, and Streamliner of Insipid Tasks.” Eleventh Annual Meeting of the Great Plains Alliance for Computers in Writing. Minnesota State U, Mankato. 8 November 2007.
“Clicking with Writing.” With Parker High School English teacher Cindy Froiland. SD Educator’s Summer Symposium. Lincoln High School. Sioux Falls, SD. 19 June 2007.
“Semi-Automatic Essay Grading Environment: Faster, Better Essay Assessment.” 2007 Laptop Institute. Dakota Interactive Academic Link (DIAL). Mitchell Technical Institute. Mitchell, SD. 13 June 2007.
“Supporting the Visual: The Flickr Learnr.” Tenth Annual Meeting of the Great Plains Alliance for Computers in Writing. Minnesota State U, Mankato. 10 November 2006.
“Pushbutton Macros and Instant Demos: What They Are and How to Use Them.” 6th Annual Beyond Boundaries: Integrating Technology Into Teaching and Learning. U of North Dakota. Grand Forks, ND. 29 Sept. 2006.
“Pushbutton Essay Grading: Pushbutton Macros and Active Rubrics.” South Dakota Council of Teachers of English Spring Conference. Chamberlain, SD. 24 March 2006.
“Innovation, Technology, and Institutional Change: Latest Technologies for Building Learning-Centered Institutions.” The Collaboration for the Advancement of College Teaching and Learning. Bloomington, MN. 18 Feb. 2006.
"Tales of the Wireless Frontier: A Glimpse into Going Wireless." Great Plains Alliance for Computers in Writing. U of Minnesota at Mankato. 16 April, 2005.
“Teaching and Assessing Online Writing and Research.” South Dakota Council of Teachers of English Spring Conference. Chamberlain, SD. 1 April 2005.
“Implementing Wireless, Networked Learning Communities.” International Conference on Technology, Knowledge, and Society. U of California at Berkeley. 19 Feb. 2005.
“Monument Alleys: Monuments and Identity in Joyce’s ‘The Dead.’” USD English Colloquium series. The University of South Dakota. Oct. 18, 2002.
“Monumentalizing the Fin-de-Siècle: The Mutable Monument in Hardy, Woolf, and Joyce.” Writing Through the Fin-de-Siècle. Conference. University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. March 24, 2001.
Creative Presentations
“Recent Fiction.” Invited Reader and guest lecturer in creative writing. Northern State University, Aberdeen. 26 Feb. 2020.
“Bats in the Time of COVID.” Brickhouse in Your House Featured Reader. Madison Area Arts Council (MAAC) Featured Reader. Via Facebook. 23 April 2020. Online.
“Connecting Research and Writing: A Creative Nonfiction Reading.” Minnesota Writing and English Conference (MnWE). Connecting Reading and Writing. North Hennepin Community College. 5-6 April 2019
“Always Pointing North: Fiction from the Fort Peck Reservation.” Minnesota Writing and English Conference (MnWE). Points of the Compass. University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN. 23-24 March 2018.
“Over the Reservation Line.” Minnesota Writing and English Conference (MnWE). Connecting Landscapes. Southwest Minnesota State U. Marshall, MN. 31 March 2017.
“New Fiction from the Northern Plains.” John R. Milton Writer’s Conference. Danforth Chapel. U of South Dakota. Vermillion, SD. 28 Oct. 2016
“Sweet Sixteen” and selected works. Vermillion Literary Project Featured Alumni. Vermillion, SD. 27 Oct. 2016. Public Reading.
“'Crossings' and other stories.” South Dakota Humanities Council Featured Writer. Williams Library Rotunda. Northern State University. Aberdeen, SD. 4 March 2016. Public Reading.
“Hart Crane’s Northwestern Bridge” and selected works. John R. Milton Writers Conference. U of South Dakota. Vermillion, SD. November 1, 2013
“New Creative Nonfiction” South Dakota Humanities Council Sponsored Featured Reader. Northern State U. Aberdeen, SD. 19 Oct, 2011.
“Mnemosyne.” Short story reading. Invited opening reader at Madison Area Arts Council’s sponsored reading by South Dakota author Brian Bedard. 20 Sept. 2007.
Selections from DogPatch. The Urban Plains: 38th Annual Dakota Conference on Northern Plains History, Literature, Art, and Archaeology. The Center for Western Studies. Sioux Falls, SD. 22 April 2006.
“How Does a One-Armed Man Pray and Other Stories.” South Dakota Humanities Council Sponsored Featured Reader. Northern State U. Aberdeen, SD. 16 March 2006.
“Bobble Head Jesus.” Invited Reader. John R. Milton Writer’s Conference. U of South Dakota. Vermillion, SD. Oct. 28, 2006.
“Bulls and Bees.” Featured Student Writer. John R. Milton Writer’s Conference. U of South Dakota. Vermillion, SD. Oct. 26, 2004.
“Dog Patch.” Time of Transition: Developing Regional Literatures Conference. U of Minnesota at Mankato. Mankato, MN. April 5, 2002.
“Clayton” and “Killing Time.” Time of Transition: Developing Regional Literatures Conference. U of Minnesota at Mankato. Mankato, MN. April 5, 2002.