From My Seat on the Aisle

Jack Garner was chief film critic for the Gannett newspapers and staff film critic at the (Rochester, NY) Democrat and Chronicle for 30 years before he retired in June, 2007. He also continues to write for the paper as a freelancer, doing a weekly film and entertainment column, and DVD reviews. And his occasional work as a film and DVD commentator with Rochester’s WHAM-TV and 1370 WXXI-AM continues. He began reviewing films at the Democrat & Chronicle in 1977 — starting with the original Star Wars. In 1987, Garner was appointed chief film critic of Gannett News Service, and his writing regularly appears in Gannett newspapers nationwide, and in journals worldwide. He holds a B.A. degree in journalism from St. Bonaventure and an M.S. from Syracuse University. He joined the Rochester Times-Union in 1970, as a rewrite man on the city desk where he was part of the team that won a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the Attica prison rebellion. Jack also serves on the boards of BOA Editions, poetry publishers, and Writers & Books, Rochester’s prominent literary organization. In November 2007, Jack was honored at the George Eastman House as only the second recipient of the museum’s prestigious George Eastman Award. He has been married since 1970 to Bonnie Garner. The couple has three grown children, and four grandchildren.