James Gill, M.F.A.

James Gill earned his MFA in Fiction Writing from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, where he studied with novelist Kent Haruf and poet Rodney Jones, and his fiction has appeared in several literary journals including Colorado Review, Crab Orchard Review, The Laurel Review, Sou'wester, Grain Magazine, and Fried Chicken and Coffee.

Along with his creative work, Professor Gill has over 14 years of experience in planning and teaching composition, creative writing, literature, and technical writing to a diverse body of students drawn from rural communities, suburban and inner-cities, as well as international students from North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.  In that time he has taught a broad range of courses (28 individual courses, 20 of which are writing courses), in various settings, including a four-year research university, two community colleges, a small private college, an alternative high school, and online.

As a first generation college graduate, Gill tries to make the complex subject matters involved in writing and literature assessable to students regardless of their previous educational opportunities.  He also believes that some of the most important learning experiences come from taking risks, often failing, and then working to overcome those temporary setbacks, and he tries to create classroom environments where students feel comfortable in those situations.  His overall goal as a teacher is to instill a joy and pleasure in being a literate person, of writing and reading, while helping students develop skills that are required in a 21^st century workplace.

 Along with writing and teaching, James enjoys small town life and lives with his wife and two sons in Cottage Grove, where he spends his free time backpacking, gardening, and playing music.  He is also active at Wesley United Methodist in Eugene, as a bass in the adult choir, serving on the missions committee, and in other various lay leadership roles.