Loren Coleman

Last updated
Loren Coleman
Born (1947-07-12) July 12, 1947 (age 76)
Norfolk, Virginia, United States
NationalityAmerican
Subject Cryptozoology, Forteana, folklore, psychology
Years active1960–present
Notable worksMysterious America
The Copycat Effect
Website
www.lorencoleman.com

Loren Coleman (born July 12, 1947) is an American cryptozoologist who has written over 40 books on a number of topics, including the pseudoscience and subculture of cryptozoology. [1]

Contents

Early life

Coleman was born in Norfolk, Virginia, and grew up in Decatur, Illinois. [2] He was the oldest of four children. [2] His father was a firefighter and his mother a homemaker. [2] He graduated in 1965 from MacArthur High School. [3] He studied anthropology and zoology at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, [4] .

Cryptozoology

Coleman writes on popular culture, animal mysteries, folklore, and cryptozoology. An editor of the Skeptical Inquirer said, "among monster hunters, Loren's one of the more reputable, but I'm not convinced that what cryptozoologists seek is actually out there." [2] He has appeared on television and radio interviews about cryptids. [5] He has written articles and books on cryptozoology and other Fortean topics. [4]

Coleman has carried out fieldwork throughout North America regarding sightings, trace evidence, and Native peoples' traditions of Sasquatch and other possible cryptids. He has written on Yeti and Bigfoot expedition sponsor Tom Slick [6] and appeared on NPR discussing the death of Grover Krantz. [7]

Paraview Press introduced a series of books, "Loren Coleman Presents" in 2004. [8] Coleman wrote introductions to volumes in the series.

Coleman contributed to the exhibition "Cryptozoology: Out of Time Place Scale," shown at Bates College Museum of Art (June 24 - October 8, 2006) and at the H & R Block Artspace at the Kansas City Art Institute (October 28 - December 20, 2006).[ citation needed ] Coleman is also a contributor/coauthor of the 2006 Bates exhibition catalogue and book, Cryptozoology: Out of Time Place Scale. [9] He also wrote the essay "Cryptids" for Alexis Rockman.[ citation needed ]

International Cryptozoology Museum

Coelacanth at the Cryptozoology Museum Coelacanth Fish at Cryptozoology Museum.jpg
Coelacanth at the Cryptozoology Museum

Coleman established a Cryptozoology Museum in 2003 in Portland, Maine. [4] [10] The first downtown location for the museum opened in November 2009, occupying the rear of The Green Hand Bookshop, a Portland general used bookshop specializing in science fiction, fantasy, and other forms of Gothic fiction. [11] On October 30, 2011, two years after moving onto Congress Street, it re-opened in a much larger space around the corner at 11 Avon Street, although it was still located in the Trelawny Building. [12] The museum then moved again in the summer of 2016, opening in July on Thompson's Point, where it resides now. [13]

Artwork by University of Southern Maine students, Coleman's former workplace, were installed in 2019. [14]

Criticism

Justin Mullis criticized Coleman's assumption about a 1955 incident in which an Indiana woman was pulled underwater by something she did not see. Coleman claimed it was caused by a half human, half fish creature called a "merbeing". Mullis pointed to Coleman's reference to The Creature from the Black Lagoon as an example of "how cryptozoologists think about science fiction and its relationship to the natural world". [15]

"Coleman has clearly used a scene from the film to prematurely solve an unexplained event, ignoring more plausible explanations, such as the possibility that Mrs. Johnson was attacked by a large fish or turtle or caught her leg on a submerged log. He also ignores the fact that Johnson’s story appeared at the same time the Black Lagoon trilogy of films was being released in theaters." [15]

Science writer Sharon A. Hill disagrees [16] with Coleman's assertions that cryptozoology is "scientific and skeptically minded". [17] Hill criticized Coleman's Cryptomundo website, saying that members "show blatant disdain for scientists and investigators critical of their claims". [16]

In reviewing a book by Grover Krantz, Skeptical Inquirer editor Robert Boston said of Coleman and Jerome Clark's book Creatures of the Outer Edge, "Clark and Coleman are every bit as gullible as Krantz, but at least they know how to spin a monster yarn so that the reader gets an occasional chill". [18]

The Copycat Effect

Coleman has a master's degree in psychiatric social work and was a consultant for the Maine Youth Suicide Program [2] for nearly a decade. A specific concern continues to be cases of murder-suicide among the young as well as the possibility of clusters (e.g., teen suicides, school shootings, workplace violence, and domestic terrorism) and the influence of media coverage, [19] leading to his writing the books Suicide Clusters [20] and The Copycat Effect. [21] [22] He has been called on for statements in the aftermath of school shootings and how best to respond to the problem, mostly by the Canadian media. [23] [24] [25]

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bigfoot</span> Mythical human or ape-like being in North American folklore

Bigfoot, also commonly referred to as Sasquatch, is a large and hairy human-like mythical creature alleged by some to inhabit forests in North America, particularly in the Pacific Northwest, despite scientific consensus. Bigfoot is an icon within the pseudoscience of cryptozoology, and an enduring topic within popular culture.

Cryptozoology is a pseudoscience and subculture that searches for and studies unknown, legendary, or extinct animals whose present existence is disputed or unsubstantiated, particularly those popular in folklore, such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, Yeti, the chupacabra, the Jersey Devil, or the Mokele-mbembe. Cryptozoologists refer to these entities as cryptids, a term coined by the subculture. Because it does not follow the scientific method, cryptozoology is considered a pseudoscience by mainstream science: it is neither a branch of zoology nor of folklore studies. It was originally founded in the 1950s by zoologists Bernard Heuvelmans and Ivan T. Sanderson.

Karl Shuker is a British zoologist, cryptozoologist and author. He lives in the Midlands, England, where he works as a zoological consultant and writer. A columnist in Fortean Times and contributor to various magazines, Shuker is also the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Cryptozoology, which began in November 2012.

Thomas Baker Slick Jr. was a San Antonio, Texas-based inventor, businessman, adventurer, and heir to an oil business. Slick's father, Thomas Baker Slick Sr., a.k.a. "The King of the Wildcatters", had made a fortune during the Oklahoma oil boom of the 1910s. He was notable for discovering Oklahoma's then-largest oil field, the Cushing Oil Field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ivan T. Sanderson</span> British naturalist, writer and cryptozoologist (1911–1973)

Ivan Terence Sanderson was a British biologist and writer born in Edinburgh, Scotland, who became a naturalized citizen of the United States. Sanderson wrote on nature and travel, and was a frequent guest on television talk shows and variety shows of the 1950s and '60s, displaying and discussing exotic animals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon-Erik Beckjord</span> American paranormal investigator (1939–2008)

Jon-Erik Beckjord was an American paranormal investigator, photographer, and cryptozoologist interested in UFOs, crop circles, the Loch Ness Monster, and Bigfoot. Throughout his life, he owned three separate, small-scale museums that featured displays, mostly photographs, of alleged UFO, Nessie, and Bigfoot sightings. He made guest appearances on national radio and television shows, but was criticized by skeptics and fellow cryptozoologists alike for not providing substantive evidence to back up his claims of the existence of paranormal beings.

Raymond L. Wallace was an American amateur Bigfoot hoaxer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Redfern</span> British journalist (born 1964)

Nicholas Redfern is a British best-selling author, journalist, cryptozoologist and ufologist.

J. Richard Greenwell was a cryptozoologist and explorer. He participated in expeditions to look for mysterious creatures or cryptids. He was the secretary for the International Society for Cryptozoology from its inception to his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roy Mackal</span> American biologist (1925–2013)

Roy P. Mackal was a University of Chicago biologist best known to the general public for his interest in cryptozoology.

The giant penguin is a creature allegedly seen in Florida during the 1940s and is at least partly documented as a hoax. This legend has no scientific merit, despite there having been giant penguins that became extinct millions of years ago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridgewater Triangle</span> Area in Massachusetts claimed to be the site of paranormal phenomena

The Bridgewater Triangle is an area of about 200 square miles (520 km2) within southeastern Massachusetts in the United States, claimed to be a site of alleged paranormal phenomena, ranging from UFOs to poltergeists, and other spectral phenomena, various bigfoot-like sightings, giant snakes and thunderbirds. The term was coined by New England based cryptozoologist Loren Coleman.

<i>The Secret Saturdays</i> American animated television series

The Secret Saturdays is an American animated television series created by Canadian cartoonist Jay Stephens for Cartoon Network. It debuted on October 3, 2008, in the United States. The series follows the adventures of the Saturdays, a family of cryptozoologists that work to keep the truth about cryptids from getting out, to protect both the human race and the creatures themselves. The Saturdays travel the Earth searching for cryptids to study and battling twisted villains like the megalomaniac V. V. Argost. The series is influenced by 1960s-era Hanna-Barbera action series and is combined with Jay Stephens's own personal interest in cryptozoology. The show finished its run on January 30, 2010, but aired reruns on Boomerang from December 5, 2011, to June 1, 2014.

<i>MonsterQuest</i> American TV series or program

MonsterQuest is an American television series that originally aired from October 31, 2007 to March 24, 2010 on the History channel. Produced by Whitewolf Entertainment, the program deals with the search for various monsters of interest to the cryptozoology subculture and paranormal entities reportedly witnessed around the world. A spin-off show, MysteryQuest, which focuses on unsolved mysteries, premiered on September 16, 2009.

<i>MonsterTalk</i> Skeptical podcast

MonsterTalk is an audio podcast originally presented by the Skeptics Society's Skeptic magazine but broke ties in 2019. Since 2019 it has been an independent podcast under the "Monster House, LLC" banner. The show critically examines the science behind cryptozoological creatures, such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, and werewolves. It is hosted by Blake Smith and Karen Stollznow, and produced by Blake Smith. In 2012, MonsterTalk was awarded the Parsec Award for the "Best Fact Behind the Fiction Podcast".

The Jacko hoax was a Canadian newspaper story about a gorilla supposedly caught near Yale, British Columbia in 1884. The story, titled "What is it?, A strange creature captured above Yale. A British Columbia Gorilla", appeared in the British Columbia newspaper the Daily Colonist on July 4, 1884. The original newspaper article describes "Jacko" as a gorilla and not a Sasquatch. However, the "Jacko" story has been used by Bigfoot advocates as evidence for the existence of Sasquatch. Many books about Bigfoot and cryptids have featured the event and cite the original newspaper article. In 2008 Michael Cremo discussed the story as possible proof for the existence of Sasquatch. The "Jacko" story was featured on the A&E television documentary series Ancient Mysteries about Bigfoot, season 4, episode 18 narrated by Leonard Nimoy. The story was also mentioned on the Bigfoot episode of the television series In Search Of..., season 1, episode 5, also narrated by Nimoy. The Jacko story was mentioned in a 1976 documentary called The Mysterious Monsters.

Peter Cyril Byrne was an Irish-American explorer, author, media personality, and cryptozoologist, probably best known as a Bigfoot investigator.

References

  1. Brenner, Laurie. (2018). "Cryptozoology: The Pseudo-Science of Mythical Creatures" Archived 2018-09-19 at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved 13 September 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "On Bigfoot's Trail". The Boston Globe . 26 February 2006. Archived from the original on 16 June 2009. Retrieved 20 February 2009.
  3. "Tracking what's hidden". Decatur Herald & Review. January 31, 1999. Archived from the original on December 24, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 Shepherd, Marleen (26 October 2005). "Renowned cryptozoologist got his start at SIUC". The Southern Illinoisan. Archived from the original on 13 June 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  5. "Loren Coleman". IMDb. Archived from the original on 2021-03-04. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
  6. Coleman, Loren (2002). Tom Slick : true life encounters in cryptozoology. Fresno, Calif.: Craven Street Books. ISBN   0-941936-74-0. OCLC   49711914. Archived from the original on 2021-07-05. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
  7. "Bigfoot Researcher Obit". npr.org. NPR. 18 February 2002. Archived from the original on 2 September 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  8. "Loren Coleman Presents Series | Cosimo's Collections & Series". cosimobooks.com. Archived from the original on 2020-07-26. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
  9. Cryptozoology : out of time place scale. Mark Bessire, Raechell Smith, Blake Almstead, Lukas Bertus, Michelle Trudo, Bates College. Museum of Art. Lewiston, Me.: Bates College Museum of Art. 2006. ISBN   3-905770-07-5. OCLC   82739367. Archived from the original on 2021-07-05. Retrieved 2021-07-05.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  10. "Hideous Objects Become Museum Art". ABC News . 9 September 2003. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  11. "The Green Hand reaches toward mystery". Portland Daily Sun . 22 September 2009. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013.
  12. "Crypto museum opens in new location". WLBZ . 30 October 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2015.
  13. "Plan Your Visit | International Cryptozoology Museum". International Cryptozoology Museum | Portland, ME. 2020-09-28. Archived from the original on 2020-11-26. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
  14. "Artwork by USM students permanently installed at the International Cryptozoology Museum | Office of Public Affairs | University of Southern Maine". usm.maine.edu. Archived from the original on 2019-06-11. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
  15. 1 2 Mullis, Justin (18 February 2019). "18 Cryptofiction! Science fiction and the rise of cryptozoology". In Caterine, Darryl; Morehead, John W. (eds.). The Paranormal and Popular Culture: A Postmodern Religious Landscape. Taylor & Francis. p. 248. ISBN   978-1-351-73181-2. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  16. 1 2 Hill, Sharon A. (23 May 2012). "Cryptozoology and Pseudoscience". Skeptical Inquirer . 21 (3). Archived from the original on 27 June 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  17. Coleman, Loren (21 May 2011). "Boing Boing Drops Pseudoscience Bomb On Cryptozoology". CryptoMundo. Archived from the original on 24 May 2011.
  18. Boston, Robert (Fall 1994). "Is Bigfoot an Endangered Species?" (PDF). Skeptical Inquirer . 18 (5): 531. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 June 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  19. "Expert predicted 'cluster' of school shootings". CTV . Archived from the original on 2009-06-17. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
  20. Coleman, Loren (1987). Suicide clusters. Boston: Faber and Faber. ISBN   0-571-12983-8. OCLC   14718186. Archived from the original on 2021-07-05. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
  21. Coleman, Loren (2004). The copycat effect : how the media and popular culture trigger the mayhem in tomorrow's headlines (1st ed.). New York: Paraview Pocket Books. ISBN   0-7434-8223-9. OCLC   55146568. Archived from the original on 2021-07-05. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
  22. "Cycles of news and violence", The Boston Globe, 14 November 2004, archived from the original on 16 June 2009, retrieved 20 February 2009
  23. "Empty threats and real killings tend to follow U.S. shooting sprees, experts". International Herald Tribune . 20 April 2007.
  24. "Need-to-know vs. sensationalism". Toronto Star . 20 April 2007. Archived from the original on 18 June 2009. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  25. "Colleges confront shootings with survival training". The Guardian . 26 August 2008. Archived from the original on 5 July 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2016.