Jason Canniff is Program Coordinator and Lecturer in the Peace & Reconciliation Studies program at University of Maine, where he teaches courses in Mediation, Forgiveness, and related topics — and mentors students working on graduate-level projects.

Before returning to academia, Jason began his professional life in hotel and restaurant management, then later pivoted to higher education as a “non-traditional student.” After earning his BA (with highest honors) and MA in English and Creative Writing/Poetics from UMaine, he taught in the English Department and Honors College.

He has broad international experience: while abroad he worked as a guest lecturer in Indonesia, engaged with Southeast Asian startup ecosystems, delivered brand-identity workshops in Bali, and co-led personal development retreats in Costa Rica.

Jason is also an accomplished writer: in 2011 he received the Edna St. Vincent Millay Poetry Prize from the National Poetry Foundation. His poetry and essays have appeared in publications such as Maine Review and Stolen Island Review, and he contributes editorial pieces to outlets including Forbes and HuffPost.

He is currently working on a collection of essays tentatively titled “I Used to be a Planet”, which explores themes such as political extremism, entrepreneurial cults, and critiques of New Age post-humanism.

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