My teaching philosophy: I try to help students recognize the strengths in their writing and to build on those strengths while developing the skills that will bring out their unique voice and vision. My goal is to encourage students to experiment with the art, to surprise themselves and keep moving into new territories of sound and sense.

Bio: Susan Browne’s poetry has appeared in literary journals and anthologies, such as Ploughshares, The Sun, Subtropics, The Southern Review, Linebreak, Superstition Review, American Life in Poetry, Writer’s Almanac, and 180 More, Extraordinary Poems for Every Day. Her first book of poetry, Buddha’s Dogs (Four Way Books), was awarded the Intro Prize by Edward Hirsch, president of the Guggenheim Foundation. Her second book of poetry, Zephyr (Steel Toe Books), won the Editor’s Prize. Other awards include prizes from the Chester H. Jones Foundation, the National Writer’s Union, the Los Angeles Poetry Festival, and the River Styx International Poetry Contest. She received a fellowship from the Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center, and her work was nominated for two Pushcart Prizes. She also has a word/music CD with Kim Addonizio, Swearing, Smoking, Drinking,& Kissing. Susan taught at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, California, for thirty years. She recently retired and teaches one or two classes each semester in poetry and fiction.