It is said that Ingersoll was lynched by an angry mob for his opinions about Jesus of Nazareth. This is not true, though it makes for a good family story. Curtain holds a B.Sc. in Computer Science and Computer Engineering from the College of Engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and the Ph.D. in English and American Literature from The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland. In Colorado, he worked at the National Center for Atmospheric Research with the CRAY computers, and with NCAR's Connection Machine. He was also director of Bionformatics at Rankin Clinical Research Unit at Duke University Medical Center, and Visiting Scholar in the Department of English at Duke University.
Curtain specializes in critical theory of philosophy and queer theory.
He has published many essays. The most recent deals with the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal and the place of sexuality in the management of our democracy. Curtain is currently Assistant Professor of Critical Theory and Cultural Studies in the Department of English at the University of Carolina at Chapel Hill.