Maxim W. Furek is an author and researcher whose work spans psychology, addictions, music journalism, and paranormal culture. His investigations into folklore, true crime, and America’s “high strangeness” have been featured across print and digital media, with a special focus on the Pennsylvania coal fields—what he has called the Coal Region Hoodoo. His academic background includes a master’s degree in communications from Bloomsburg University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Aquinas College. Drawing on these disciplines, Maxim examines the psychological and sociocultural currents behind UFOs, cryptids, hauntings, demonology, music scenes, and media mythmaking. Beyond the paranormal, Maxim is also known for documenting Pennsylvania music history and the rise of AOR bands throughout the 1970s–80s, as well as for commentary on Generation X culture, grunge, and the darker side of fame.