Biography
by P. E. McWhorter, Editor, Vancouver Books
(Publications updated by Guido Lambosa in 2024)
Frank Zahn left home at the age of sixteen to escape the poverty and ignorance that plagued his old neighborhood on the south side of Kansas City, Missouri. He finished high school while living with his older brother, served a hitch in the U. S. Navy, and graduated from college with a BA in economics (major) and philosophy (minor). Afterwards, he married, had two children, and attended graduate school where he earned a PhD in economics.
With an academic career behind him, he now devotes full time to reading, traveling, and writing. When asked if he enjoyed academic life, he said, "Yes, I did. Teaching and research were great experiences, and there was always time for honing my writing skills. I did other things as well. I took a leave of absence to set up and head an economic forecasting unit for a large government agency in Washington D. C., and I took several sabbaticals and leaves of absence to travel, lecture, and study abroad. I'm grateful for the whole experience, especially the travel because it broadened my understanding of the social, economic, and political problems cultural diversity presents."
An award winning lecturer, a Fulbright scholar, and a former consultant for the World Bank, Frank Zahn has traveled to Great Britain, most of Western Europe, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, several countries in Central America, China, India, Japan, and much of West Africa. His four trips to lecture at universities in China are the most memorable, especially the trip to Beijing and Dongying during the 1989 massacre in Tiananmen Square. When traveling, he does not shy away from culture shock. Once he remarked, "Why travel abroad if all you’re going to do is stay at the Hilton, sightsee, and shop for souvenirs in the tourist areas?"
His favorite subjects are economics, politics, and religion—all three of which provide a wealth of intellectual stimulus and an endless list of topic and themes to research, think, and write about.
His publications include nonfiction books, economic research articles, commentaries, book reviews, essays, novels, short stories, and poetry.
Favorite poets include Lord George Gordon Byron, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Rudyard Kipling, Kahlil Gibran, and A. B. (Banjo) Paterson. Among contemporary poets, he admires the works of Ted Kooser, Perie Longo, Kim McNealy Sosin, and Marvin Bell.
Favorite writers of literary fiction include Emile Zola, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ayn Rand, Henry Graham Greene, and Ernest Hemingway. Favorite writers of commercial fiction include John Jakes, Catherine Cookson, David Baldacci, and Frank Slaughter.