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.

People who talk on their cell phones indoors and raucous teenagers are universally disliked by most everyone, but not everyone has the power to quiet them down. Gotham Humor Writing teacher, Scott LaCounte, holds this power and, in fact, it’s part of his day job. Scott is a public librarian.

Little did Scott know when he was an annoying kid himself, that one day shushing the obnoxious and irritating would be his destiny. One of Scott’s earliest memories of the library is almost getting kicked out. "I hated the idea of reading a book there because that's what you were supposed to do,” Scott says. “As a kid, I, of course, never wanted to do things when I was supposed to do them.” Ironically, Scott’s passion for books and writing eventually led him back to the library, this time as a career choice.

Sin...
MORE | ARCHIVE If you’ve taken a Gotham online class, you may have noticed that some of your classmates listed their home base as Iraq or Afghanistan. If so, they were probably U.S. soldiers. We’re proud to have these men and women in our classes and we are eager to hear what they have to say. And that eagerness is what inspired Gotham teacher Shannon Cain (and co-editor Lisa Bowden) to put together the recently released anthology Powder: Writing by Women in the Ranks, from Vietnam to Iraq.

Here is the preface by the editors:
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At a writers’ conference in Georgia in the summer of 2005, an American veteran of the war in Iraq stood at the podium and read a personal essay about his time as a soldier. Overcome with emotion and using language both beautiful and stark, he told us about the mutilations ...
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• Susan Breen: Writer's Yearbook 2009, from Writer's Digest , includes Susan Breen's article "The Quick Pitch," about how to find an agent at a pitch conference. This special issue is available only on newstands through February 2009.   • Porochista Khakpour: The Asian American Writer’s Workshop included Porochista Khakpour reading from her novel, Sons and Other Flammable Objects, as part of  "Iranian-American Writers: The Next Generation," in NYC, on Nov. 8.  She also read from her novel at 440 Gallery, Park Slope, Brooklyn, on Nov. 9. For more information, visit: porochistakhakpour.com.  • Brian Edgar: Killer Films and the GC Corp. will produce, "William the Conqueror," a medieval action film co-written by Brian Edgar. The deal is described at variety.com. • Peter Markus: WDET's Detroit Today radio show interviewed Peter Markus about the river that inspires him. For the audio along with a video montage, visit youtube.com. Brooklynrail (October issue) included a review of Peter’s book, Bob, or Man on Boat. Read the review at brooklynrail.org. Find Peter’s book at amazon.com. • Matthew Lippman: Sixthfinch.com, a new poetry and art webzine, includes two poems by Matthew Lippman, “Oranges,” and “The Madness of Anne Hathaway.” Read them at sixthfinch.com. • Krista Madsen: San Diego City Works Press included Krista Madsen’s short story, “Air Wasn't Air,” in their food literature anthology, Hunger and Thirst.