Currently, J. K. Dennis is an assistant professor of English at Forest Park College in St. Louis, Missouri. According to Professor Dennis, stories have always been powerful teaching tools in the black community. He is afraid that this tradition has been put in jeopardy by more dominant forms of media. 9 Lessons for a Meaningful Life is his attempt to reclaim this tradition and inspire people to consider how they can improve their lives and make somebody else's life more meaningful in the process.