Shelley Evans began teaching for us as a guest faculty member in Summer 2015, and we are thrilled to welcome her to our regular faculty in the Fairfield Low-Residency MFA. She showed an amazing movie she wrote about the true story of a transgender teen's murder, "A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Arajo Story," and … Continue reading Introducing Shelley Evans, New MFA faculty member at Fairfield!
Adriana Páramo, new Fairfield MFA Faculty!
Adriana Páramo came to the Fairfield low-residency MFA Faculty this past winter 2016 residency as a guest writer, and after that we decided we had to have her on the faculty. Lucky for us, she accepted, and we are thrilled to welcome her. A cultural anthropologist, writer and women’s rights advocate, Páramo is the author of Looking for … Continue reading Adriana Páramo, new Fairfield MFA Faculty!
Non-Standardized Testing
Sometimes there are no outcomes, no scaffolded learning objectives. Or they are secret and cannot be named. Or they can be named but the methods for tracking the outcomes have not been invented yet and should not be invented. I had a conversation with a K-12 teacher last week in which she admitted that she … Continue reading Non-Standardized Testing
Essay Assignment: A Lyric Collaborative Map of Campus
I like playing with web tools for creative writing, but I've been slower about adopting these assignments for classes. In December 2014, I attended a three-day "Digital Humanities" workshop where faculty from the Fairfield U. English Department got to brainstorm ways to integrate digital tools into our courses. One of my colleagues, Shannon Kelley, had spoken … Continue reading Essay Assignment: A Lyric Collaborative Map of Campus
Shadow Syllabus
I’ll tell you exactly how to get an A, but you’ll have a hard time hearing me. I could hardly hear my own professors when I was in college over the din and roar of my own fear. Those who aim for A’s don’t get as many A’s as those who abandon the quest for … Continue reading Shadow Syllabus
The “Free” Workshop as a Substitute for a Reading?
I didn't mean to fill my schedule up like this, but it looks like I'll be reading or teaching at a bunch of places this spring, including four libraries and one conference in Connecticut, a panel on memoir at AWP in Seattle and at a reading for Daniel Nester's Incredible Sestina Anthology, and River Teeth … Continue reading The “Free” Workshop as a Substitute for a Reading?
Teaching the Exploratory Essay
We want to know when essays first entered your life, which essays really speak to you, and how you as a teacher and a writer work with essays, for yourself and with your students. The essay--as you might know if you're interested in the form--is many things to many people. We (Ioanna Opidee and Sonya … Continue reading Teaching the Exploratory Essay
A Wardrobe for Teachers
In honor of the new school year, I wanted to share my vision for the teachers of the world: a clothing store with tags that will, in advance, describe how our wardrobes will disrupt our classes and frustrate us. Most of these concerns, as you will see below, are for the women standing in front … Continue reading A Wardrobe for Teachers
Backwards Research Guide for Writers
Equinox Publishing, Writing & Pedagogy Series, ed. Dr. Martha Pennington, 2011. ISBN: 1845534425 Buy from IndieBound: Buy from Amazon: The Backwards Research Guide for Writers: Using your Life for Reflection, Connection and Inspiration (FRAMEWORKS FOR WRITING) The Backwards Research Guide for Writers: Using Your Life for Reflection, Connection and Inspiration demystifies the writing process … Continue reading Backwards Research Guide for Writers
Day of Higher Ed
As part of a call put out for a "Day of Higher Education," and as a response to recent claims that professors don't work (or some nonsense like that) I am blogging about what I'm up to. It's, just by coincidence, a hectic day, and I don't even teach today. 7:30 I got dressed in … Continue reading Day of Higher Ed
