Writing
as witness. Memory.
As a professor, community-based writing pedagogy lies at the center of my classrooms, with an emphasis on anti-racist practices, filmic and hybrid genre writing techniques, POC and LGBTQ+ narratives, and guidance in navigating landscapes of rememory.
01 — PHILOSOPHY
Teaching Philosophy.
I believe that writing is a practice of witness, a form of presence, of empathy, and a way of insisting that a writer's life, community, and stories matter in every context. My classrooms are built around this conviction.
My pedagogy is rooted in anti-racist praxis, where I center the experiences and literary traditions of communities that have been historically marginalized and excluded from the canon. I draw heavily from POC and LGBTQ+ writers as the primary architects of my curriculum, drawing out stories that traditional writing classes may skip over in favor of more conventional stories.
I teach through hybrid and cross-medium forms: letter-writing, nature journaling, documentary analysis, and creative-critical hybrid essays, all because I believe form is never neutral and that experimenting in different mediums can prove incredibly helpful to the writing process.
Ultimately, I want to build classrooms where students of all backgrounds can feel equipped to move through their own landscapes of memory: personal, historical, ecological, communal, however they may take form, with curiosity, rigor, and care.
02 — TESTIMONIALS
Student Testimonials.
One of my favorite parts of teaching is creating fun, engaging activities that students would actually have fun doing.
These testimonies from students are the core motivation in my continued evolution and development of pedagogically cutting edge learning activities, and an example of their effectiveness.
Gabriella Anaya
Former Student
"So supportive and funny. Makes this feel like a safe space and I feel more adventurous and comfortable to share."
Kaitee Okel
Former Student
On "Filmic Writing Techniques" Exercise
"I enjoyed [Will's] personal touches, openness, and how [he] expressed interest and encouragement for our projects and insights gained in the generative exercises."
"The exercise on filmic techniques brought out a different side to what I would normally write as fiction. I liked stepping outside my artistic vision and playing in other sandboxes from time to time, and this provided that space. It's clear [Will] put a lot of work into the presentations and materials."
Former Student
Cross Genre Approaches to the Short Story
"[Will is] always prepared, really knowledgeable, very upbeat, and positive."
Former Student
Cross Genre Approaches to the Short Story
Former Student
Cross Genre Approaches to the Short Story
"[Will] took the time to hear everyone's ideas, which I appreciated."
"[Will is] not afraid of flexibility when it benefits students."
03 — CURRICULUM
Courses
designed & taught.
I work to consistently design classes around topics that speak directly to the anti-racist praxis central to my pedagogy.
The following courses, entirely self designed, investigate the lives and works of diverse figures in the art and literature world that both interest me deeply and are also important humanistic figures worth investigating.
