“The social, collaborative nature of writing and teaching explains why both must be endlessly recreated—because the humans engaged in them change, as do the societies they inhabit…”
Meet Jim
Jim Seitz is an award-winning English professor who has worked with thousands of undergraduates on their writing and has supervised numerous faculty members and graduate students who teach writing. He earned his PhD from New York University and has directed writing programs at the University of Virginia, the University of Pittsburgh, and Long Island University.
Books & Essays
Jim’s academic work explores the intersections of writing, literature, and teaching, with a focus on first-year college students. He has published widely on writing pedagogy, and he is the author of Motives for Metaphor (University of Pittsburgh Press), which reimagines how English departments might bridge the often-divided fields of composition, literature, and creative writing. Jim also recently completed a memoir, Fragments of a Father, which explores the mystery behind the night his father died in a plane crash and raises questions about the kind of man his father was.
Teaching
At the University of Virginia, Jim has taught a wide range of courses in writing, literature, and pedagogy. At the graduate level, his offerings focus on the teaching of writing and on stories told about teaching in memoir, fiction, and film. Jim’s undergraduate teaching includes courses on memoir, the literature of sports, and writing courses that emphasize the personal essay.
Workshops & Presentations
Jim has led workshops for more than two decades on writing and teaching—ranging from creative writing for community audiences to professional development for K–12 teachers and university faculty. His workshops have addressed topics such as how to tell as well as show when composing fiction or nonfiction, how to revitalize students’ relationship to writing, and how to approach writing as inquiry rather than performance.
Subscribe to Jim’s Substack: Life on the Page
Contact Us
Interested in asking Jim to read from his memoir, offer a writing workshop, or give a talk about the teaching of writing? Please complete this short form and he’ll be in touch shortly.