hiː wɛnt ˌɔn tʊ ˈɜːn ɐn ˈɛm.ˈeɪ. fɹʌm ˌɛsdˌiːˌɛsjˈuː ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti ˈeɪt, ænd hɪz pˌiːˈeɪtʃ dˈiː ɪn lˈɪɾɚɹᵻtʃɚ fɹʌmðə jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi ʌv kˌælɪfˈoːɹniəsˌæn dɪˈeɪɡoʊ ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi θɹˈiː.
He went on to earn an M.A. from SDSU in 1978, and his PhD in literature from the University of California-San Diego in 1983.