My Teaching Philosophy

Writers are made as athletes are made: through playful mimicry, practice, and good coaching. My role as writing teacher is that of a good coach. While my approach to the job changes depending on the experience and skill of my students, my goals remain the same:

• ​To provide an  artistic framework which encourages students to learn from and mimic the masters of their craft;
• ​encourage students to transfer skills they admire into their own work, and in that way to grow their own unique voices;
• to model the creative discipline needed to establish and then sustain a writing practice;
• and to create a welcoming atmosphere of rigorous play and collaboration.