Elizabeth Weaver
Assistant Professor of Writing, Institute for Core Studies
First-Year Writing Program, Institute for Writing Studies
MFA, Poetry, 1997, Columbia University
Composition Studies, 2006, State University of New York at Stony
Brook
weavere@stjohns.edu
Areas of Interest
Composition and rhetorical theory, critical pedagogy, memoir,
creative nonfiction, poetry
As a Writer
My poetry and translations have appeared in a number of
journals, including The Paris Review. I've been an active
participant in creative writing workshops throughout New York City
and have been a member of the New York City Writers’ Circle since
2006. I’ve also shared my work at various venues throughout New
York City, including the St. Marks Poetry Project, the Bowery
Poetry Club, Cornelia Street Café, The Telephone Bar, and An Beal
Bocht Café. I am currently working on a nonfiction manuscript
dealing with some of the social, financial, and psychological
issues relevant to Brooklynites and others who have been affected
by the mortgage crisis.
Research
Currently I am co-editing a collection of essays on the use
of creative writing pedagogy in the first-year composition
classroom.
In the Classroom
My research and writing interests – in rhetorical invention and
creative writing – also play out in the classroom. I like to
discover how students learn to take something seemingly small --
such as a fondness for a specific place they enjoy visiting -- and
explore various types of inquiry at once to see what essentially
“sticks” in terms of what there is to say about the subject (and
how), whether that be creatively, rhetorically and/or through
hands-on or related “library” research, etc. I find that by
semester’s end, students walk away with a number of pieces they
feel deeply connected to and are proud to have written. I try to
encourage the young writers in my classes to see where and how
writing makes the most sense to “happen” for them, whether that be
something they’d like to publish on a blog or share at our
end-of-year “open mic” -- or whether they just end up with a small
bit of something to put away and think more about later.In terms of
approach, I believe in giving students the opportunity to figure
out and explain where they feel a piece of writing needs to go.
This is especially true for students whose learning styles lean
toward the verbal and social “multiple intelligences.” I value
giving students an opportunity to take responsibility (and credit)
for their learning and discovery process.
Recent Publication
Weaver, Elizabeth. “The Burning
Ghat.” (poem). Tattoo Highway. The Council of
Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP), 19 (Fall
2009). Online: http://www.tattoohighway.org/19/elwburning.html
Presentations
Denny, Harry, Anna Rita Napoleone , Elizabeth Weaver
(speaker), Rochell Isaac , and Courtney Frederick . "(Un)Covering
Identities: Theorizing the Construction, Resistance, and Interplay
of Minority Identities in a Majority Academy and World." New York.
Conference on College Composition and Communication, 21 – 24 Mar.,
2007.
Mendez, Marianallet, Elizabeth Weaver (workshop panelist), David
Farley, and Sean Murray. “Academic Service-Learning and First-Year
Writing Programs: Striving for a Fruitful Fusion.” San Francisco.
Conference on College Composition and Communication, 11 – 14 Mar.,
2009.
Pushman, Erin, Stephanie Wade, Elizabeth Weaver
(co-chairs), Donald Pardlow, and Ben Ristow. “In the Lineup:
Creative Writing and Critical Thinking in College Composition.” San
Francisco. Conference on College Composition and Communication, 11
– 14 Mar., 2009.
Lewis, Josh, Stephanie Wade, and Elizabeth
Weaver. “Creating Justice through Creative Writing
Pedagogy.” State University of New York at
Plattsburgh. SUNY Council on Writing Annual Conference, 27
Mar., 2010.