At Gotham, we believe that teaching is every bit as much of an art as writing, and we know through vast experience that the ability to teach creative writing is a unique and valuable skill. That's why all of our teachers are professional writers and professional teachers. They know what it means to work at the craft of writing - they've been in the trenches - and they are expert at conveying the larger concepts and nuances to students of writing. And, most importantly, they don't just talk about writing, they get you writing.

“I’ve spent my life trying to make theater that feels more like rock and roll than theater,” says Gotham teacher and playwright Richard Caliban.  “I played in bands when I was young," says Richard.  “And now I’m playing in bands again when I am old."

Richard was born in Long Island, but every couple of years his family would move to places such as Costa Rica, Columbia, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and New Jersey.  He describes himself as having been a hippie/jock/surfer and chaser of girls.  He was also a musician.  “I played drums in lots of bands,” he says, “And in Puerto Rico I played on this dance show kind of like the Dick Clark Show where I’d do these quick drum solos each week.”<...
MORE | ARCHIVE Gotham teacher Matthew Davis has just seen the release of his memoir, When Things Get Dark: A Mongolian Winter’s Tale, which is about Matthew’ experience teaching English in a remote village in Mongolia. Part travelogue, the book reveals a forbidding land, so unknown to most, as it strives to transform from it's traditional past into something more modern. Part personal experience, we follow the writer on a downward spiral into drink and violence that takes him farther away from home than he ever imagined.

Scattered throughout the book are tuukhs, brief historical interludes. The tuukh below is about the most famous Mongolian of them all.
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Tuukh: The World...
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• Tatjana Soli: The Millions, (Feb. '10) features Tatjana Soli’s article,"The Writer Career Arc,or Why We Love the Susan Boyle Story," by.  Read it online at www.themillions.com • Porochista Khakpour: Poets & Writers (March/April ’10) features Porochista Khakpour’s article, “Race and Other Flammable Topics: A Conversation Between Danzy Senna and Porochista Khakpour,” on their front page. Find it online at pw.org. • David Goodwillie: New York Times Paper Cuts, a blog about books by Blake Wilson, features David Goodwillie’s playlist of favorite music for the characters in his forthcoming novel, American Subversive. Read the blog entry at nytimes.com. • Kerry Cohen: The Writer (April ’10 Issue) includes Kerry Cohen’s essay, “Good Intentions,” about how a memoir can harm or heal, in their Off the Cuff section. • Melissa Febos: Melissa Febos Book Tour: Melissa reads from her newly released book, Whip Smart, appearing on Fresh Air with Terry Gross on NPR radio during the 2nd week of March and reading at these events: March 3: Joe’s Pub, NYC, Happy Ending Music & Reading Series, 9PM; March 4: Happy Ending Lounge, NYC, Sex Worker Literati, 8PM; March 10: Bluestocking Bookstore, NYC, 7PM; Rose Live Music, Brooklyn, Earshot Reading Series, 7PM; March 14: Bowery Poetry Club, NYC, Whip Smart Book Party, 8-11PM; March 17: Cake Shop, NYC, Mixer Reading Series (w/ Sonya Chung & Shelly Oria), 7PM; March 18: Happy Ending Lounge, NYC, The Flesh Reading Series, 8PM; March 23: Church of the Resurrection, Queens, REZ Reading Series, 7PM; March 24: BookCourt, Brooklyn, Melissa will teach a free memoir writing class, 7PM; March 26 & 27: Elliott Bay Books, Seattle, WA, 7PM; March 28: Center for Sex Positive Culture, Seattle, WA, 6PM; March 29: Olympia Timberland Library, Olympia, WA, 6:30PM. For more details, visit melissafebos.com. • David Farley: The New York Times Travel Show, at the Javits Center, NYC, hosts David Farley presenting a seminar, “Travel Through the Eyes of Travel Writers,” February 27, at 1:30 PM. For details, visit nyttravelshow.com.