Writing as Real Life

By Olga Katsovskiy

I avoid disclosing anything about my life to my students, nor do I ask them to share any facts about their personal lives when we first meet. My teaching philosophy is to let the writing do most of the talking.

In my Adult Education classes, we get acquainted by examining published essays and flash fiction I’ve selected to demonstrate a point. We talk openly about our emotional responses, then dissect the craft. Sometimes someone doesn’t like an essay I assign for “ho...