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Headshot of Josh Pahigian

Josh Pahigian, M.F.A.

Director, Center for Global Humanities

Instructor, Global Humanities Seminar Series

Senior Writer, Office of Communications

Location

McDougall 101
Portland Campus

Josh has been affiliated with UNE since joining the University as an adjunct instructor in 2004. In that role, he taught English Composition, British Literature, and American Literature. In 2014, Josh joined the Center for Global Humanities as a fellow, teaching the annual Global Humanities Seminar Series and helping to promote and present the Center’s monthly lectures. Since 2013, Josh has also served as a writer in the Office of Communications. In addition, Josh is the author of several popular baseball books and a Maine mystery novel, and his short stories revealing the complexities of the Armenian-American cultural experience have been published in literary journals in the United States and (in translation) in Armenia. Josh is a firm believer in the enduring necessity of the humanities to education and civic life. In January 2024, Josh was appointed director of the Center for Global Humanities. 

Credentials

Education

M.F.A. in Creative Writing
Emerson College
2001
B.A. in English
The College of the Holy Cross
1996

Research

Selected publications

 

Books

The Amazing Baseball Adventure, Lyons Press (2017)

101 Baseball Places to See Before You Strike Out, 2nd Edition, Lyons Press (2015) 

Spring Training Handbook, 2nd Edition, McFarland Publishing (2013)

Strangers on the Beach: A Novel, Islandport Press (2012)

The Ultimate Baseball Road Trip, 2nd Edition, Lyons Press (2012)

The Seventh Inning Stretch, The Lyons Press (2010)

101 Baseball Places to See Before You Strike Out, Lyons Press (2008) 

The Ultimate Minor League Baseball Road Trip, Lyons Press (2007)

The Red Sox in the Playoffs, McFarland Publishing (2006)

Why I Hate the Yankees, Lyons Press (2005)

Spring Training Handbook, McFarland Publishing (2005)

The Ultimate Baseball Road Trip, Lyons Press (2004)

 

Popular Articles

“No, the Humanities Are Not Dying Out,” Portland Press Herald (2024)

“For Exceptional Fan Experience, Hadlock Field Hits It out of the Park,” Portland Press Herald (2016)

“Foreword,” Diehards: Why Fans Care So Much About Sports, Rowe Publishing (2015) 

“Five Reasons to Set Your Novel in a Famous Place: How Setting Helps Story,” Writer’s Digest.com (2013)

“How to Kill a Good Man, and Why Every Suspense Writer Should Consider it,” Omni Mystery News (2012)

“Best Ballpark Bars,” Men’s Health (2012)

“Best 2011 Minor League Theme Nights,” ESPN.com (2011)

“Best 2011 Minor League Giveaways,” ESPN.com (2011)

“Hardball Haven: Miller Park,” ESPN.com (2011)

“Spring Training Preview,” ESPN.com (2011)

“A Golden Age for Baseball Bronzes,” ESPN.com (2010)

“Best 2010 Minor League Giveaways,” ESPN.com (2010)

“Best 2010 Minor League Theme Nights,” ESPN.com (2010)

“Minor League Fun,” Family Fun Magazine (2009)

“The Best Baseball Movie Never Made,” ESPN.com (2008)

“Sweet Seats: Exceptional Vantages in the Majors and Minors,” ESPN.com (2008)

“Best Minor League Baseball Promotions for 2008,” ESPN.com (2008)

“Eccentricities of Spring: Best Grapefruit and Cactus League Ballpark Quirks,” ESPN.com (2008)

“What Name’s Got Game: Best College Nicknames and Mascots,” ESPN.com (2008)

“It’s a Celebration: Best NFL Touchdown Celebrations,” ESPN.com (2007)

“Raising the Bar: Baseball’s Best Alehouses & Eateries,” ESPN.com (2007)

“Best Minor League Ballpark Promotions,” ESPN.com (2007)

“Best Ballpark Seats,” ESPN.com (2007)

“Best Baseball Museums,” ESPN.com (2007)

“Ten Things I Love About Spring Training,” ESPN.com (2007)

“Belly Up to the Bar for March Madness,” Pontiac Performance (2007)

“Best Ballpark Foods,” ESPN.com (2006)

“Camp Sunshine: A Ray of Hope,” Port City Life (2005)

 

Short Stories

“Sweeping,” Brevity and Echo: An Anthology of Short-Short Stories (2006)

“Hungry Armenian,” Modern American-Armenian Short Stories, translated into Armenian (2006)

“Great Armenians,” Ararat: An International Quarterly (2004)

“Armenian Summer,” Ararat: An International Quarterly (2004)

“Armenian Nectarines,” Grakan Tert, translated into Armenian (2004)

“Hungry Armenian,” Grakan Tert, translated into Armenian (2003)

“Armenian Nectarines,” Ararat: An International Quarterly (2002)

“99 to Life,” Passages North (2002)

“Hungry Armenian,” Ararat: An International Quarterly (2002)

“Sweeping,” The Hawaii Review (2001)

“Driving Mr. Ferguson,” Worcester Magazine (2000)

“The Bellboy,” The Beacon Street Review (2000)

“The Death of Unckie Vartkis,” Ararat: An International Quarterly (2000)

 

Peer Reviewed Article

Stride, C. B., Thomas, F. E., Wilson, J. P. & Pahigian, J. Modeling stadium statue subject choice in US baseball and English soccer. Journal of Quantitative Analysis in Sports. Volume 8, Issue 1, Pages 1–34, ISSN (Online) 1559-0410, DOI: 10.1515/1559-0410.1399, March 2012.

 

Other scholarly activity

 

Selected Lectures and Honors

Legislative Commendation, Massachusetts House of Representatives (2015)

Parson’s Memorial Library, Alfred, ME (March 2014)

Dyer Library, Saco, ME (March 2014)

College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA, Author’s Panel (October, 2013)

Wells Public Library, Reading and Lecture (August, 2013)

University of Maine—Fort Kent, Maine Author’s Conference panelist (May, 2013)

Valley Rivers Middle School—Fort Kent, Maine Writers Day presenter (May, 2013)

North Bridgeton Public Library, Lecture and reading (April, 2013)

Springvale Public Library, Lecture and reading (March 2013)

Thomas Memorial Library, Cape Elizabeth, ME, Lecture and reading (March, 2013)

North Gorham Public Library, Gorham, ME, Lecture and reading (February, 2013)

McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, ME, Lecture and reading (January, 2013)

Western Connecticut State University, Danbury, CT, Lecture and reading (January, 2013)

Bestsellers Café Authors’ Series, Medford, MA, Lecture and reading (December, 2012)

Libby Memorial Library, Old Orchard Beach, ME, Lecture and reading (November, 2012)

University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME, Lecture and reading (October, 2012)

Portland Public Library, Portland, ME, “Brown Bag Lecture Series,” (October, 2012)

The Maine Edge named Strangers on the Beach one of the “Best Books of 2012”

Publisher’s Weekly named Strangers on the Beach one of its “Fall 2012 Indie Titles to Watch”

Arts@UNE Lecture Series, Biddeford, ME, Lecture and reading (October, 2012)

Finalist for the Casey Award for the Year’s Best Baseball Book, 101 Baseball Places (2008)

Loranger Middle School, Old Orchard Beach, ME, Career Day Speaker (2008-2011)

Dyer Memorial Library, Saco, ME, “Sweetser Memorial Lecture Series,” (2009)

University of New England, Biddeford, ME, “Faculty Authors Series” (2007)

Nichols College, Dudley, MA, Lecture for Fischer Institute for American Values series (2005)

Thomas Memorial Library, Cape Elizabeth, ME, “Diverse Voices Series” (2004)

Shepherd Hill High School, Dudley, MA, National Honor Society Dinner, Keynote Speaker (2004)

Emerson College, Boston, MA, Annual MFA Nonfiction Writing Contest, Guest Judge (2004)

 

Research topics

Baseball Culture