Education
Ph.D., Mass Communication, University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Master of Theology, University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee.
Bachelor of Arts, Stetson University, DeLand, Florida.
Books
Sumner, David E. and Holly G. Miller. Feature and Magazine Writing: Action, Angles and Anecdotes, 3rd ed. (Wiley, 2013).
Sumner, David E. The Magazine Century: American Magazines since 1900 (Peter Lang USA, 2010).
Sumner, David E. and Shirrel Rhoades, Magazines: A Complete Guide to the Industry (Peter Lang USA, 2006)
Research Interests
20th century American magazine history
Feature and magazine writing
Magazine industry trends
David E. Sumner has achieved distinction in journalism education as author or co-author of five books while building one of the nation's top magazine journalism programs. He is currently professor of journalism and coordinator of the magazine journalism major in the Department of Journalism at Ball State University, a position he has held since 1990. He teaches courses in magazine writing, advanced magazine writing, magazine management, interviewing, and opinion writing. His website contains writing tips and career resources for writers.
In March 2013, he gave a paper at the Joint Journalism and Communications History Conference at New York University. He was also interviewed by National Public Radio about the Reader’s Digest bankruptcy. In 2012, he taught at writing workshops in Oregon, Honduras, and presented a paper on American magazine trends at the International Conference on Communication, Media, and Technology in Istanbul, Turkey.
His textbook Feature and Magazine Writing: Action, Angle and Anecdotes (co-authored with Holly G. Miller) has been one of the most successful feature writing textbook on the market and used in classrooms throughout the U.S. and in English-speaking countries around the world. His 2010 book, The Magazine Century: American Magazines in 20th Century, has received positive reviews in six academic journals including the Journal of American History and Journalism and Mass Communications Quarterly.
Sumner received the 2007 Magazine Educator of the Year Award from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. He is married to Elise Carr Sumner, a Spanish instructor at Ivy Tech State College and graduate of New York University’s master’s program in Madrid.