Teaching
Philosophy
My teaching is based on three beliefs:
1. In writing, as in life, nothing guides us better than our own questions; our curiosity
leads us to our deepest knowledge. When I sit with students in classes or in conferences—whether they are undergraduates, graduate students, returning students, advanced or beginner writers—I encourage them to be courageous on the page. I tell them not to be limited by the maxim “Write what you know,” but rather to identify their obsessions, fascinations and confusions—that’s where the gold is.
2. Writing takes practice, and there is no good writing without rewriting.
The rewriting process is different for every writer, but it is a process with many steps,
beginning with a seed and progressing forward, draft by draft by draft. Authority in writing
depends on the mastery of technical skills. Write daily.
3. Our best writing lessons are learned by reading the work of great writers.
Courses Taught
Undergraduate: Fiction and Creative Nonfiction workshops (basic to advanced);
Fundamentals of Fiction; Autobiographical Reading & Writing; Building Characters in
Fiction, Autobiographical Novels; Translating the American Dream in Literature
Graduate level: Fiction and Creative Nonfiction workshops; Contemporary Trends in
Fiction; Form & Theory of Fiction; Women of Fiction: A Global Overview (cross-listed with
Women’s Studies)
Experience
Writer’s Workshop, University of Nebraska at Omaha (Professor)
M.F.A. in Writing, University of Nebraska (Core Faculty Member)
M.F.A. Program, Eastern Washington University (Visiting Assistant Professor)
Writer’s Voice of the West Side Y; New York, NY (Instructor)
New York University Continuing Education (Instructor)
Marymount Manhattan Courses for Adults; New York, NY (Instructor)
Hunter College; New York, NY (Instructor)