I'm an ecumenical reader, grew up with all sorts of fiction, teach writing, went to the Iowa Writers' Workshop, so my tastes and interests are broad.
I teach a non-fiction writing class at New York University, and one of my great pleasures is deciding on the syllabus.
When I taught at the University of Houston in the Creative Writing program, we required the poets to take workshops in fiction writing, and we required the fiction writers to take workshops in poetry.
If I ever teach writing again, I’d say the first lesson is to listen.
People say you can't teach writing, but I think that's nonsense.
The way I was educated, maybe from just inhaling something in the air back then, I grew up believing that E. B. White occupied the apex of essay writing.
I'm not a writer who teaches. I'm a teacher who writes.
For example, many colleges in their writing programs teach some of my work.
In teaching writing, I'm learning new things about writing.
I often think that the prime directive for me as a teacher of writing is akin to that for a physician, which is this: do no harm.
When I began to be published, people got the idea that I should 'teach writing,' which I have no idea how to do and don't really believe in.
In the world of the American creative writing workshop, I've encountered teachers who are tempted to place, or have actually placed, a moratorium on child narrators. Students love to write them, but children come laden with complications.
I never was a big believer that you can teach writing per se.
I think in terms of educating a group of readers, MFA programs are very good. I just think the model of MFA programs in which a young poet goes through the program, publishes a series of books, gets teaching jobs, that's a bit at risk.
Teaching writing over the years intrudes on your own writing in important ways, taking away some of the excitement of poetry.
I find it both fascinating and disconcerting when I discover yet another person who believes that writing can't be taught. Frankly, I don't understand this point of view.
I am in the Master of Professional Writing program teaching Humor Writing, Literary and Dramatic.
