INSTRUCTORS

BettyJoyce Nash
INTERVIEW WITH BETTYJOYCE NASH
When did you first feel like a writer?
What's your philosophy about teaching a writing class?
Writing, like all art, relies partly on craft techniques that can be taught. Good self-editing, for example, is essential to good writing. Writing always can be made better. To write, as to draw, means seeing what’s there instead of what we expect or want.
If you could meet any fictional character, who would it be and why?
INSTRUCTOR BIO
BettyJoyce Nash is a journalist and fiction writer with an MS in journalism from Northwestern’s Medill Journalism School (1988) and an MFA in fiction from Queens University (2011). Her journalism has appeared in newspapers and magazines in North Carolina and Virginia; her fiction has been published in North Dakota Quarterly, Broad River Review, and C-Ville Weekly. As part of her research for her story, “Laser Vision,” she qualified for a concealed carry permit in 2011. In 2015, she won the F. Scott Fitzgerald contest. Her fiction has been recognized with fellowships from The MacDowell Colony and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, among other artists’ colonies.
WHAT WRITERHOUSE STUDENTS ARE SAYING ABOUT BETTYJOYCE
“She’s bright and kind, and she provides great suggestions and thoughtful edits of writers’ work.”
“What I found was the most helpful workshopping I’ve ever encountered; actual suggestions, with examples to demonstrate how to do revising.”
“Very dedicated, accessible and knowledgeable instructor. BettyJoyce gave us a lot of useful tools. Content was useful for reading a variety of fiction and playing with many different prompts.”
“Great-approachable, widely read, useful feedback, very quick to answer emails and sent a lot of content between classes as well.”
“She had lots of examples, references, tips. Nice balance of reading and writing.”
“She’s wonderful! Knowledgeable and supportive. No recommendations for improving—she’s ideal!”
“Betty Joyce is wonderful and encouraging and has a deep repertoire of quality writing prompts.”