Meet Our Instructors
When did you first feel like a writer?
Calling myself a writer is something I still struggle with, to be honest. As a small child, I'd tell people, "I want to be a writer." I always thought of "writer" as more of a profession someone else had to allow me to do for a living, rather than something I could just be. Now, I think of writer as more of an action. I am someone who writes. I am a writer because I write.
When did you first feel like a writer?
On the set of my first produced film, the producer, director, and I were struggling over something I'd put in the script that for some long-forgotten reason couldn't be shot the way I'd written it. After each of us came up with one or two not very good fixes, the producer finally threw up his hands, turned to me, and said, "You're the writer, you figure it out." I walked away thinking, "I guess I am now officially a writer."
When did you first feel like a writer?
If I'm sure of one thing, it's that I never felt like a writer while I was growing up--observant, yes; articulate, yes. Teachers would submit my compositions to the school magazine, but "a writer" was someone, mostly dead, with a name on a book. If anything, I was a story teller--about incidents that were scandalous; the adults would listen and laugh, and then tell me to not repeat that. Having a by-line in college and at newspapers later on was great, but it was only when an editor at Harper's called about publishing a piece of mine that I dared try on the title--and quickly put it back. Today, with a few books in print, I see it less as a matter of professional validation than as an intuitive response to life and language--to capture and shape experience, make others feel as you felt, and create a world that others can share.
When did you first feel like a writer?
For the longest time after I quit my job in order to write fiction full time, I still introduced myself by my former profession (I practiced law). But after I’d published a few stories in magazines I was finally able to say, “I’m a writer,” although I almost always included a verbal footnote (“but I used to practice law”). It was only when my first book was published that I was able to drop the footnote and really feel like a writer.
When did you first feel like a writer?
When I was a little boy, my mom bought me a journal. That was the first time that I felt like a writer.
What's your philosophy about teaching a writing class?
First, I always adjust the class based upon the students in the class. Second, I always create a relaxed environment. Third, together, we, as poets, try to help each other improve.
When did you first feel like a writer?
I began writing poetry and stories as a young child—I never wanted to be anything other than a writer. So I think that I have personally identified as a writer my whole life. But when did I feel like this was something I could actually do with my life? That moment came when I received a phone call from Jeanne Leiby, who was the editor of the Southern Review, telling me that she wanted to publish an essay of mine. It wasn’t my first acceptance, but that is the only time an editor has called me, instead of e-mailed, to accept a piece. Hearing a real human voice talking to me about something I had written was incredibly affirming for me. Jeanne Leiby has since passed away, but I will always remember the time she took to do this very special thing for her contributors.
When did you first feel like a writer?
It was the first time I was published. In college, I had taped all the rejection slips--dozens of them--to the wall by my computer. And then a letter arrived that said the editors liked my little essay. I'd always thought of myself as a writer, but this was the first time someone else agreed.
What's your philosophy about teaching a writing class?
I try to bring the same blue-collar attitude that I grew up with into the classroom, so I stress the daily process of writing and reading. I try to bring the same blue-collar attitude that I grew up with into the classroom, so I stress the daily process of writing and reading. A nonfiction teacher must mentor and guide students to not only examine the text at hand, but to also scrutinize their own backgrounds and ideas. I want to be certain my students are aware of the centuries-long dialogue swirling about them, and that they feel confident enough to enter into the discussion as writers and readers. Literature can expose us to something grander than our own experiences, it is most often words that help us understand and evaluate our beliefs.
When did you first feel like a writer?
I'd like to say that it was when I was 5 or 6 years old, and I accompanied my mother, who was a poet, to a radio station in Seattle, where she gave a poetry reading. But I was far too engaged in the fact she was a writer to even begin to think of myself as a future one, though I certainly did feel some sense of mental connection with her even at that young age. I'm pretty sure it was much, much later, when I was a freshman at Columbia University, and I would spend hours deep underground in the stacks of Butler Library reading sample after sample from the big contemporary American poetry section. It was so peaceful down there, and the slim books seemed to be fully lit with significance in the half-dark. I just wanted to try to belong to all that in some small way.
When did you first feel like a writer?
I think the first inkling that I might be a writer came in my sophomore year of college. I had just won an award for my poetry chapbook (I wanted to be a poet then) and people started to think and speak of me as a writer. And yet, despite all the positive feedback, I remained unconvinced, because I knew I had no idea what I was doing. Then, after graduate school, when my stuff started appearing in magazines, I thought, Okay, now I’m a writer. But whenever people asked me what I did, I was still reluctant to call myself a writer. It was only after a long stretch on my own, without any support or encouragement, when I was left to the daily practice of facing myself and the page, and feeling drunk with discovery, that I finally began to feel like a writer.
When did you first feel like a writer?
In 8th grade my parody of my bow-tie wearing, Binaca-addicted, self-proclaimed "Mr. Administrivia" Washington State History teacher put my chain-smoking English instructor on probation – for passing it around to the other teachers. Four years later this English teacher told my sister's class, "Any student writing a story about teachers at this school, or that appears to be about teachers at this school, will be immediately suspended."
What's your philosophy about teaching a writing class?
I do my best to share information in a way that is accessible, practical, and fun. You do your best to tell me when I'm not making any sense. By the end of 8 weeks, everyone who's pitched in will feel like they've gotten their money's worth.
When did you first feel like a writer?
I started writing poems and keeping a nature journal at about age 9. In fifth grade a teacher encouraged me with a reading list of poets I might like, including Keats and Wordsworth. My parents gave me Louis Untermeyer’s Golden Treasury of Poetry, a completely dog eared and falling-apart jewel I still own; it is an amazing anthology every child deserves, with poems and illustrations to attract young people, classic poems to grow on, and wonderful work by high-school students to encourage student writers. By the time I was in seventh grade and compiling a “collection” of my own poetry for a class assignment, I had attained the mix of enthusiasm and ego to really feel like a writer. Discovering about that time that ee cummings shares my birthday sealed it.
When did you first feel like a writer?
Fourth grade. We were assigned stories and a few of us offered to read our work in class. Throughout the school year, my classmates always asked that I read mine, which both surprised and delighted me.
What's your philosophy about teaching a writing class?
My primary focus is to support a writer's process. We may have common practices, but I see my role as getting writers to craft new material and helping them flesh out what is most authentic and resonant. I look for what's obvious and what may be hidden in the writing. We tend to live in our heads so I offer ways to deepen self awareness and its connection to language.
When did you first feel like a writer?
In 5th grade I considered myself an author/illustrator. I had a thick manuscript of poems and stories written in large, loopy handwriting on lined paper with pencil and crayon illustrations. Most of the stories were mysteries but some were humorous. One title was “Lucky: The Story of a Dog Who Wore Black Lace Underwear.” When I tell kids in schools today about this one, they crack up laughing.
Is there a particular book or essay that made you want to write?
When I was a teenager, I wanted to write like Jane Austen. I loved (still love) the mellifluous rhythm of her sentences and her crisp, funny dialog. Later it was Alice Munro, The Beggar Maid in particular. I'm enthralled by her ability to turn a moment over and over, showing new layers, as well as the organic complexity of her narratives.
When did you first feel like a writer?
In middle school, I received a medal from an online poetry contest. Looking back on it, I think they may have given one to everyone who submitted, but at the time I felt like I had achieved something. I still use the medal as a paperweight on the poems that sit unfinished on my desk!
What’s your philosophy about teaching a writing class?
I think one of the keys to writing well is writing a lot. I usually have to produce a lot of writing before I find a piece that I really want to stick with. With young writers, I think it’s especially important for them to play around with styles that they haven’t tried. Young writers also need to hear about what’s working in their pieces so that they can begin to hone in on an individual style. Striking a balance between exploration and dedication to a particular piece are key.
When did you first feel like a writer?
When I was a freshman in high school, I competed in speech tournaments in Dramatic Interpretation. I couldn't find a monologue I liked, so I wrote one for myself, and used a pseudonym. And I won a big shiny trophy for it!
What's your philosophy about teaching a writing class?
After taking workshops with Edward Albee and others, I've come to the conclusion that the best classes help a writer find what is uniquely theirs, and help remove any roadblocks that may be blocking their voice. That said, for those of us who want to find an audience, structure and character development are a big help!
If you could meet any fictional character, who would it be and why?
I would love to meet Linda Loman, so I could find out if she was getting any on the side.
