“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
After devoting much of his career to academic writing, Jim recently composed a memoir entitled Fragments of a Father, which explores the mystery behind the night his father died in a plane crash and asks how we mourn a life from pieces too sparse to fully reassemble.
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.