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Loren Coleman

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the cryptozoologist. For the science-fiction writer, see Loren L. Coleman.
Loren Coleman
Born (1947-07-12) July 12, 1947 (age 77)
Norfolk, Virginia, United States
NationalityAmerican
Alma materSimmons University
SubjectCryptozoology, Forteana, folklore, psychology
Years active1960–present
Notable works
    • Mysterious America
    • The Copycat Effect
Website
www.lorencoleman.com

Loren Coleman (born July 12, 1947) is an American cryptozoologist, author and television personality who has written over 40 books on a number of topics, including cryptozoology. He is also the President, Founder and leading Director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine. He has a background in social work and has also written on the topic of suicide, particularly the copycat effect.

Early life

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Coleman was born in Norfolk, Virginia, and grew up in Decatur, Illinois.[1] He was the oldest of four children.[1] His father was a firefighter and his mother a homemaker.[1] He graduated in 1965 from MacArthur High School.[2] He studied anthropology and zoology at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.[3][4] He earned his master's degree in social work from Simmons University, doing postgraduate work on sociology and anthropology at the University of New Hampshire and Brandeis University.[4] He moved to Maine in 1980.[4]

Cryptozoology

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Coleman writes on popular culture, animal mysteries, folklore, and cryptozoology. An editor of the Skeptical Inquirer said, "among monster hunters, Loren's one of the more reputable, but I'm not convinced that what cryptozoologists seek is actually out there."[1] He has written articles and books on cryptozoology and other Fortean topics, and over 40 books on the subject.[3] Coleman has carried out fieldwork throughout North America regarding sightings, trace evidence, and Native peoples' traditions of Sasquatch and other possible cryptids and appeared on NPR discussing the death of Grover Krantz.[5]

Paraview Press introduced a series of books, "Loren Coleman Presents" in 2004.[6] Coleman wrote introductions to volumes in the series.[citation needed] Coleman contributed to the exhibition "Cryptozoology: Out of Time Place Scale," shown at Bates College Museum of Art (June 24 - October 8, 2006) and at the H & R Block Artspace at the Kansas City Art Institute (October 28 - December 20, 2006).[citation needed] Coleman is also a contributor/coauthor of the 2006 Bates exhibition catalogue and book, Cryptozoology: Out of Time Place Scale.[7] He also wrote the essay "Cryptids" for Alexis Rockman.[citation needed]

International Cryptozoology Museum

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Coelacanth at the Cryptozoology Museum

Coleman established a Cryptozoology Museum in 2003 in Portland, Maine.[3][8] The first downtown location for the museum opened in November 2009, occupying the rear of The Green Hand Bookshop, a Portland general used bookshop specializing in science fiction, fantasy, and other forms of Gothic fiction.[9][permanent dead link] On October 30, 2011, two years after moving onto Congress Street, it re-opened in a much larger space around the corner at 11 Avon Street, although it was still located in the Trelawny Building.[10] The museum then moved again in the summer of 2016, opening in July on Thompson's Point, where it resides now.[11]

Artwork by University of Southern Maine students, Coleman's former workplace, were installed in 2019.[12]

Criticism

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Justin Mullis criticized Coleman's assumption about a 1955 incident in which an Indiana woman was pulled underwater by something she did not see. Coleman claimed it was caused by a half human, half fish creature called a "merbeing". Mullis pointed to Coleman's reference to The Creature from the Black Lagoon as an example of "how cryptozoologists think about science fiction and its relationship to the natural world".[13]

"Coleman has clearly used a scene from the film to prematurely solve an unexplained event, ignoring more plausible explanations, such as the possibility that Mrs. Johnson was attacked by a large fish or turtle or caught her leg on a submerged log. He also ignores the fact that Johnson’s story appeared at the same time the Black Lagoon trilogy of films was being released in theaters."[13]

Science writer Sharon A. Hill disagrees with Coleman's assertions that cryptozoology is "scientific and skeptically minded".[14][15] Hill criticized Coleman's Cryptomundo website, saying that members "show blatant disdain for scientists and investigators critical of their claims".[14] In reviewing a book by Grover Krantz, Skeptical Inquirer editor Robert Boston said of Coleman and Jerome Clark's book Creatures of the Outer Edge, "Clark and Coleman are every bit as gullible as Krantz, but at least they know how to spin a monster yarn so that the reader gets an occasional chill".[16]

Suicide prevention

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Coleman has a master's degree in psychiatric social work and was a consultant for the Maine Youth Suicide Program for nearly a decade.[1] He has lectured often on the impact of the media on suicide and murder.[17] He has specialized in the Werther effect, a phenomenon resulting in many copycat suicides following the publication of a 1774 novel.[17][18] He has been called on for statements in the aftermath of school shootings and how best to respond to the problem.[19] A specific concern continues to be cases of murder-suicide among the young as well as the possibility of clusters (e.g., teen suicides, school shootings, workplace violence, and domestic terrorism) and the influence of media coverage,[20] leading to his writing the books Suicide Clusters and The Copycat Effect.[21][22]

The Copycat Effect is arranged thematically, covering specific incidents.[18][23] In the book, he criticizes the media for their coverage of these events, focusing on several high profile incidents of suicide and murder leading to copycat incidents.[17] He argues that the media's sensationalization of local violence, such as school shootings, can lead to copycat attempts.[18] He concludes with several recommendations as to how these kinds of events should be handled,[18][23] suggesting that the media cover them more responsibly.[24] Publishers Weekly said the book presented Coleman's advice "with enough punch to intrigue the public and possibly exert a minor influence on the press."[17] Kirkus Reviews criticized what they perceived as its "scolding tone", saying it diminished the book's persuasiveness; however said Coleman offered "persuasive and often chilling evidence" of his thesis.[18] Library Journal recommended the book, calling it "really the only survey available on this topic", however criticized the inclusion of the section on baseball suicides, calling it out of place, and said the book left the reader wondering whether Coleman wished to "warn the public or to sanitize art".[23]

Personal life

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He is married and has two children.[4]

Bibliography

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  • The Field Guide to Bigfoot and Other Mystery Primates (NY: Anomalist Books, 2006, ISBN 1-933665-12-2)
  • The Unidentified & Creatures of the Outer Edge: The Early Works of Jerome Clark and Loren Coleman (NY: Anomalist Books, 2006, ISBN 1-933665-11-4)
  • Weird Ohio with James Willis and Andrew Henderson (New York: Barnes and Noble, 2005, ISBN 1-4027-3382-8)
  • The Copycat Effect (New York: Paraview Pocket-Simon & Schuster, 2004, ISBN 0-7434-8223-9)
  • The Field Guide to Lake Monsters, Sea Serpents and Other Mystery Denizens of the Deep with Patrick Huyghe (NY: Tarcher-Penguin, 2003, ISBN 1-58542-252-5)
  • BIGFOOT!: The True Story of Apes in America (NY: Paraview Pocket-Simon & Schuster, 2003, ISBN 0-7434-6975-5)
  • Tom Slick: True Life Encounters in Cryptozoology (Fresno: Craven Street/Linden Press, 2002, ISBN 0-941936-74-0)
  • Mothman and Other Curious Encounters (NY: Paraview, 2002, ISBN 1-931044-34-1)
  • Mysterious America: The Revised Edition (NY: Paraview, 2001, ISBN 1-931044-05-8)HB 2004 (ISBN 1-931044-84-8).
  • Cryptozoology A to Z: The Encyclopedia of Loch Monsters, Sasquatch, Chupacabras, and Other Authentic Mysteries of Nature with Jerome Clark (NY: Simon & Schuster, 1999, ISBN 0-684-85602-6)
  • The Field Guide to Bigfoot, Yeti and Other Mystery Primates Worldwide with Patrick Huyghe (NY: HarperCollins, 1999, ISBN 0-380-80263-5)
  • Suicide Clusters (Faber & Faber, 1987, ISBN 9780571129836)

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Chase, Stacey (2006-02-26). "On Bigfoot's Trail". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 2009-06-16. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
  2. ^ Reid, Tony (1999-01-31). "Tracking what's hidden". Herald & Review. Decatur. Archived from the original on 2018-12-24. Retrieved 2014-08-02.
  3. ^ a b c Shepherd, Marleen (2005-10-26). "Renowned cryptozoologist got his start at SIUC". The Southern Illinoisan. Archived from the original on 2018-06-13. Retrieved 2014-08-03.
  4. ^ a b c d "Following in Bigfoot's footsteps". Bangor Daily News. 2009-10-05. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
  5. ^ "Bigfoot Researcher Obit". NPR. 2002-02-18. Archived from the original on 2017-09-02. Retrieved 2017-09-02.
  6. ^ "Loren Coleman Presents Series". Cosimo's Collections & Series. Archived from the original on 2020-07-26. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
  7. ^ Cryptozoology : out of time place scale. Mark Bessire, Raechell Smith, Blake Almstead, Lukas Bertus, Michelle Trudo, Bates College. Museum of Art. Lewiston, Me.: Bates College Museum of Art. 2006. ISBN 3-905770-07-5. OCLC 82739367. Archived from the original on 2021-07-05. Retrieved 2021-07-05.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  8. ^ "Hideous Objects Become Museum Art". ABC News. 2003-09-09. Archived from the original on 2019-04-12. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  9. ^ "The Green Hand reaches toward mystery". Portland Daily Sun. 22 September 2009. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013.
  10. ^ "Crypto museum opens in new location". WLBZ. 2011-10-30. Archived from the original on 2015-11-06.
  11. ^ "Plan Your Visit". International Cryptozoology Museum. 2020-09-28. Archived from the original on 2020-11-26. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
  12. ^ "Artwork by USM students permanently installed at the International Cryptozoology Museum". University of Southern Maine. 2019-01-07. Archived from the original on 2019-06-11. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
  13. ^ a b Mullis, Justin (2019). "Cryptofiction! Science fiction and the rise of cryptozoology". In Caterine, Darryl; Morehead, John W. (eds.). The Paranormal and Popular Culture: A Postmodern Religious Landscape. Taylor & Francis. p. 248. ISBN 978-1-351-73181-2.
  14. ^ a b Hill, Sharon A. (2012-05-23). "Cryptozoology and Pseudoscience". Skeptical Inquirer. 21 (3). Archived from the original on 2020-06-27. Retrieved 2020-06-27.
  15. ^ Coleman, Loren (2011-05-21). "Boing Boing Drops Pseudoscience Bomb On Cryptozoology". CryptoMundo. Archived from the original on 2011-05-24.
  16. ^ Boston, Robert (Fall 1994). "Is Bigfoot an Endangered Species?" (PDF). Skeptical Inquirer. 18 (5): 531. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-06-30. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  17. ^ a b c d "THE COPYCAT EFFECT: How the Media and Popular Culture Trigger the Mayhem in Tomorrow's Headlines". Publishers Weekly. 251 (25): 52. 2004-06-21. ISSN 0000-0019. Retrieved 2024-10-06.
  18. ^ a b c d e "THE COPYCAT EFFECT: How the Media and Popular CultureTrigger the Mayhem in Tomorrow's Headlines (Book)". Kirkus Reviews. 72 (14): 669. 2004-07-15. ISSN 1948-7428.
  19. ^ Zerbisias, Antonia (2007-04-20). "Need-to-know vs. sensationalism". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 2009-06-18. Retrieved 2017-09-04.
  20. ^ "Expert predicted 'cluster' of school shootings". CTV. Archived from the original on 2009-06-17. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
  21. ^ Sayeau, Ashley (2004-11-14). "Cycles of news and violence". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 2009-06-16. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
  22. ^ Siefker, Carol A. (1990). "Book reviews -- Suicide Clusters by Loren Coleman". Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior. 20 (1): 98. ISSN 0363-0234.
  23. ^ a b c Snowden, Audrey (2004-10-01). "The Copycat Effect: How the Media and Popular Culture Trigger the Mayhem in Tomorrow's Headlines (Book)". Library Journal. 129 (16): 91. ISSN 0363-0277.
  24. ^ Jennings, Lane (June 2005). "Combating Copycat Violence". The Futurist. Vol. 39, no. 3. pp. 13–14. ISSN 0016-3317.
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