Ithaca College

The Center for Faculty Excellence is pleased to host Ithaca College Community Artists each Friday at 5pm. In a mere 15-20minutes, learn what our community brings to the Arts, and the invariable ways Art invigorates our lives.

FRIDAY, NOV. 20:  JOAN MARCUS (bio below)!!

For the link to attend this event, email cschillinger@ithaca.edu

BIO: I was born in Boston, the granddaughter of Communist labor organizers and the daughter of visual artists. I write because I can’t paint and I want to make something beautiful out of a messy and imperfect world, so I guess I’m attempting to carry on family traditions in my own way. Although my Master of Fine Arts is in fiction writing, I turned to memoir and personal essay in 2006 and have been writing nonfiction ever since. 

Here at Ithaca College I teach both fiction and nonfiction, including courses such as Writing Children’s Literature, Memoir, Creative Nonfiction, Introduction to the Essay, and Women and Writing. The essay is a favorite subject of mine. I love how this essentially hybrid genre allows writers to pull together elements of personal reflection, narrative writing, cultural or literary analysis, and investigative journalism. As a teacher, I specialize in breaking down what I see as a false dichotomy between “creative” and “critical” writing, helping students to produce works that are simultaneously analytical, reflective, illustrative, and highly inventive.   

When I’m not writing or teaching, I’m gardening, hiking, or working on my pottery. I may not be able to paint, but I can throw a passable mug.