Bonnie ZoBell
has received an NEA, a PEN Syndicated Fiction
Award, the Capricorn Novel Award, and a
story from
SmokeLong Quarterly was included in Wigleaf's Top 50. One of
her stories was recently nominated for a 2011 Pushcart Prize by
The Los Angeles Review and another published by Storyglossia was
named as a
notable
story of 2010 by storySouth's Million Writers Award. She
received an MFA from Columbia, is Associate Editor of The
Northville Review, and teaches at San Diego Mesa College. Her
work can be found at
www.bonniezobell.com .
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2011 Mesa College Writing Contest (open only
to current students)
San Diego Mesa College Creative Writing Program
An exceptional community college writing program
near the Pacific Ocean
The Creative Writing Program at San Diego Mesa College offers a Creative Writing Certificate of Performance and range of classes for transfer credit and personal enrichment including fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. The main program goals are personal enrichment and to prepare students for upper division writing programs by offering courses that guide the development of writing skills. In this process, we provide writing workshops, individualized critiques of students' manuscripts, craft lectures, and exercises that encourage development of students as writers.
Additionally, we offer Honors Creative Writing 249: Staff of Mesa Visions, the Mesa College Art and Literary Magazine. Professors Cost and Smith have team-taught this literary magazine course since Fall 2007. As students learn to write poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction, they also collectively judge writing, select art, and design the magazine. The semester ends with a celebration of the publication, awards ceremony, and reading of selected works.
Both earned their master’s degrees at SDSU, and are fellows of the San Diego Writing Project. Jennifer Cost's food photographs have recently been published in the Hunger and Thirst anthology, edited by Nancy Cary. Wendy’s most recent publication was a review of Louise Erdrich’s novel, Plague of Doves, in the San Diego Union-Tribune. As teachers, both work to promote intelligence, empathy, curiosity, and creativity in their students.
When they’re not teaching, Professors Cost and Smith enjoy hiking together, eating out, and being slothful. Fall 2011 Update: This semester, Professor Cost has been replaced by Professor Safdie, whose bio is below.Creative Writing Program Contact Info
Coordinator E-mails: bzobell@sdccd.edu and
sstarbuc@sdccd.edu
Coordinator Addresses:
Bonnie ZoBell, Creative Writing Coordinator
San Diego Mesa College
7250 Mesa College Drive
San Diego, CA 92111
Scott T. Starbuck, Creative Writing Coordinator
San Diego Mesa College
7250 Mesa College Drive
San Diego, CA 92111
Meet the Faculty
Bonnie ZoBell, Creative Writing Coordinator, Intermediate
Fiction Writing, Fundamentals of Fiction Writing, and Intro to Creative
Writing
Bonnie ZoBell's Web site
Scott T. Starbuck, Creative Writing Coordinator, Creative Nonfiction, Poetry, Fiction, Intro to Creative Writing, and World Literature
Scott Starbuck received his M. F. A. in
Creative Writing from Eastern Washington University. Students at
Glendale Community College in Arizona voted him "Teacher of the
Year." He has published or forthcoming over 200 pieces in
ten countries including
Australia, Canada, England, India, Ireland, Mexico, Poland, Scotland,
Sweden, and widely
in the United States. Some of it is available online at
Pemmican,
Blood Orange Review, and the Nature Writing section at
The Raven Chronicles Web site. You can hear him
read two poems at
Fogged
Clarity or listen to his 31-minute radio interview about his
poetry chapbook, The
Warrior Poems, as well as other poems.
Joyce Jenkins, editor/publisher of POETRY FLASH, selected his poem "Jacob Describes the Man Behind the Counter" as one of five runners up from over 900 entries at the 2011 Beyond Baroque Poetry Contest in Venice, CA. F.J. Bergmann, Poetry Editor of Mobius: The Journal of Social Change, nominated his "Initiation Poem" for the Best of the Net 2010. Christine Klocek-Lim, editor of Autumn Sky Poetry, nominated his poem, “The Last Wild Otter Near Otter Crest, Oregon, 1906” for Best of the Net 2009.
He said World Literature,
Creative
Nonfiction, Fiction, and Poetry Seminar are his favorite classes to teach as a Professor of English at San Diego Mesa College.
When he is not teaching or writing, he hikes in Oregon or communes with dolphin
yoga masters in the waters off Encinitas.
His claywork is at
The Spirit
of the Salmon Fund,
The Trumpeter Journal of Ecosophy,
and
Untitled Country Review (cover art called Steelhead Harp)
(plus
2,
3,
4), and his new work was recently in
Columbia River Gallery and
White Wolf
Sanctuary.
His newest poems are at Scythe, In Other Words: Merida, Untitled Country Review Issue 6, cur.ren.cy, rfishc.com, NICHE, The Oregonian, Untitled Country Review Issue 2, The Portland Review, Blue Lotus Review, and The Found Poetry Review. His newest chapbook, Riverwalker, is forthcoming from Mountains and Rivers Press. He has poems forthcoming at The Los Angeles Review, Atticus Review, The Canary Literary Journal, Otis Nebula, Two Thirds North (Stockholm University), The Raven Chronicles, The Western State Press Anthology, The Orange Room Review, and Cream City Review's theme issue, "Dispatches from the Front: Labor and the Fight For Worker’s Rights."
His creative nonfiction essay, "Another Short Ode to Kurt Cobain in the Time of Decay of the American Empire," is at Drunken Boat. His creative nonfiction essay, "Portrait of Myself Skiing with the 'Enemy' at Medicine Bow," is forthcoming from Owen Wister Review at The University of Wyoming.
Ron Israel, Intermediate Fiction Writing, Fundamentals of Fiction Writing, and Intro to Creative Writing, American Literature
I’m Ron Israel.
When I’m not teaching, grading essays,
or doing other school related work, I
spend my time with my wife and two kids.
In rare spare moments I practice tai chi
and plunk around on the guitar. I also
write short fiction, having been most
recently published in SDSU’s Pacific
Review.
If I’ve learned anything in life, it’s that destinations are far less important than journeys. This moment on this path is what matters most.
For those seeking the typical background information: I joined the Mesa College English department in the Spring of 1997, after spending the previous six years as an adjunct instructor, teaching throughout San Diego County. At Mesa, I have taught composition, creative writing, and American Literature. Most of my current teaching load consists of humanities courses, though I continue to teach at least one English course each semester, including creative writing, American Lit, and Honors English 101, which is offered every fall semester. I earned a B.A. in psychology from the University of Arizona and a Master of Arts degree in English from San Diego State University. I am in final stages of completing a Master of Arts degree in humanities from CSU, Dominguez Hills.
Pianta, Poetry, Intro to Creative Writing
Originally from Hawai’i, Pianta lives in San Diego but still considers Hilo home. She has a Master’s degree in English as a Second Language and a Bachelor’s degree in English. She’s studied with a range of writers such as James Wright, Galway Kinnell, Diane Wakoski, Oakley Hall and others. Her work has appeared most recently in publications such as Bamboo Ridge Press and Ekphrasis.
Christie Allred, Poetry, Intro to Creative Writing
Christie Allred, a native of San Diego, has been teaching at Mesa College since 1995. She earned her MA in English with a Creative Writing Certificate from San Diego State University. She also has a MS in Educational Technology. In her free time, she likes to play with her two sons and her dog and has recently rediscovered the joy of Leggos!
Joe Safdie, Poetry, Intro to Creative Writing, Creative Nonfiction, British Literature
Joe Safdie
received his MA in English at the University of Colorado. He's
been teaching English in community colleges in Washington and
California since 1994, after three years of teaching English
overseas in the Czech Republic in the early nineties. His books
of poems are Saturn Return (1983), Spring Training (1985),
September Song (2000) and Mary Shelley's Surfboard (2006). His
series of poems "Against Romanticism" and an essay on Slow
Poetry can be found in the 2010 issue of Big Bridge magazine;
his series of poems "Tribute to Jack" are in the latest issue of
House Organ.
This page was updated January 27, 2012.
Copyright © 2006 to 2012 Scott T Starbuck, All Rights Reserved | No responsibility is assumed for external links as these frequently change. This unofficial Web site is maintained and owned by Scott T. Starbuck at San Diego Mesa College. Content provided does not reflect the views or opinions of the San Diego Community College District or San Diego Mesa College. Comments about the content on this site should be directed to the Web site owner at: sstarbuc@sdccd.edu