Linda Miller Associate Professor, English |
Education
Teaching Interests
I currently teach creative writing classes, primarily in fiction and nonfiction prose. My courses focus on the process of writing and on developing a vibrant writing community. Students are encouraged to explore new terrain, to experiment with narrative form and play with words, sentences and paragraphs. I teach through "modeling" and practice: students read both contemporary and classic pieces, all of which offer a wide range of styles and skills. Students then create a 'tool box' of techniques which they will use in their own work. Students share their writing in various formats: small group peer workshops, class workshops and one-on-one conferences.
My teaching is not limited to the traditional classroom. I teach creative writing classes at the Lehigh County Corrections Center where both Muhlenberg students and incarcerated people help each other improve their writing skills and share their diverse experiences. I team-teach three MILA courses, one in northern Italy, one in western Ireland and another along the Potomac River in Maryland, DC, Virginia and West Virginia. These courses begin on campus and then culminate in 2-3 weeks of travel . Every three years, I also team-teach Living Writers, where six established writers come to campus and teach us about their latest work, their writing process and their life as a writer.
Research, Scholarship or Creative/Artistic Interests
I am interested in narrative prose and have written numerous short stories and essays. My work investigates what it means to live in our complicated world, how we struggle to negotiate the demands upon us and to "do the right thing," not always successfully.