Meet our talented family of teachers—each an accomplished writer and trustworthy guide. Leaf through our faculty bios, profiles, book excerpts, and writing advice articles. You’ll like the people you meet.
N. West Moss

Faculty Profile

Meet N. West Moss

My mother gave me a filing cabinet for my 7th birthday. That should tell you what a bookworm and writer I’ve been since the beginning.

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Joe Okonkwo

Faculty Profile

Meet Joe Okonkwo

Joe Okonkwo spent his fortieth birthday in Mexico City, binge-watching American reality TV shows in his hotel room because he felt he “hadn’t accomplished anything.”

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The instructor was very personable and gave intellectually stimulating lectures. He is one of the most exceptionally talented instructors I have ever encountered and that includes my college experience.

Gaye McKenney, retailer

Faculty Excerpts

<em>Half Gods</em>

Half Gods

Akil Kumarasamy
Excerpt from the story "At the Birthplace of Sound"You are a convenience store store owner, a taxi driver, a doctor, a terrorist, an IT worker, an exchange student. An Egyptian, a Pakistani, a Trinidadian, an Indian. You wear your skin...
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<em>The Patron Saint of Cauliflower </em>

The Patron Saint of Cauliflower

Elizabeth Cohen
Borscht caraway, paprika, cumin, fresh dillin short, empty in the whole spice rackblack pepper, allspice, thymepluck the garden clean of root vegetablesgarlic, onion, a dozen beetsthen gently shake in a century of runningthe blood hue of a fresh pogramsoak in...
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Faculty Articles

Gabriela Pereira

The Psychology of World Building

Gabriela Pereira
Most writers think world building is the artistry of creating a setting for your story. They imagine fantastical lands with dragons soaring over castle gates or the intergalactic battles in a “galaxy far, far away.” But the truth is that...
Elane Johnson

In Defense of the Oxford Comma

Elane Johnson
Less than one-third of a second. Can you comprehend that length of time? One-third of a second is a tad less than the time it takes to say the word one or two or three, in “one one-thousand, two one-thousand,...