Coleman, Loren (1947 - )

Genre: Non-Fiction - Scholarly

Loren Coleman was raised in Decatur, Illinois, and received his undergraduate degree in anthropology-zoology and his graduate degree in psychiatric social work.

He settled in New England in 1975, bought a cabin in Rangeley in 1980, and moved to Portland in 1983, where he has lived since, and where he has opened the International Cryptozoology Museumm.

Coleman has been visiting assistant professor of social work at the University of New England, and was, for thirteen years, a senior research associate at the Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Policy, University of Southern Maine; he was adjunct associate professor at the University of Southern Maine from 1989-2003.

Coleman's first article -- Mystery Animals in Illinois -- was published in March 1969 when he was 21. Since then, he has written over 200 articles, been a consultant to a number of reality-based TV shows (including "Unsolved Mysteries") and The History Channel's "In Search of History," and he writes a regular cryptozoology column for Fate Magazineas well as frequent articles for the London-based Fortean Magazine; he has also written for Mysteries Magazine and The Anomalist.

He is also a frequent guest on radio shows to discuss both his cryptozoology books and his books on human behavior -- contagion and suicide clusters. Coleman speaks to children's groups, libraries, and other civic groups worldwide.

Though best known for his books and articles on cryptozoology, Coleman has written or edited several books on suicide prevention and copycats, including The Copycat Effect: How the Media and Popular Culture Trigger the Mayhem in Tomorrow's Headlines (2004).

His work on the suicides of baseball players was heavily covered in the media, including in Sports Illustrated and on ESPN.

Coleman has also developed several curricula on the topic. He was director of the Runaway Suicide Prevention Project at USM, and has been involved with the Maine Governor's Youth Suicide Prevention Initiative, having trained some 1,000 Mainers since 1998.

Selected Bibliography

  • The Unidentified (1975) with Jerome Clark
  • Creatures of the Outer Edge (1978) with Jerome Clark)
  • Mysterious America (1983)
  • Curious Encounters (1985)
  • Suicide Clusters (1987)
  • Tom Slick and the Search for the Yeti (1989)
  • The Field Guide to Bigfoot, Yeti, and Other Mystery Primates Worldwide (1999) with Patrick Huyghe
  • Cryptozoology A to Z: The Encyclopedia of Loch Monsters, Sasquatch, Chupacabras, and Other Authentic Mysteries of Nature (1999) with Jerome Clark

Selected Resources