Eden Across the Street and Other Formative Places: a Memoir attempts to recreate important relation­ships in the author's earlier life and to con­vey the spirit of the places where he lived. Bill Keen was born in1935 in Harrisburg PA, where he attended public schools, graduating from John Harris High School in 1953. He received further education at Dickinson College (B.A. 1957), Lehigh University (M.A. 1960; PH.D. 1967), and L. S. U. (1959-1961). He taught English Literature and Composition at Lehigh University (1961-1962), Oswego State College, N.Y. (1963-1966), and Washington and Jefferson College (1966-2000). He married Sally Whitcomb Keen in 1961. He has three daughters, Suzanne Keen, Rebecca Longsworth, and Rachel Hutchisson, five grandsons, and a cat.

Bill Keen (William P. Keen) is Professor Emeritus of English, Washington and Jefferson College.