Professor of Creative Writing
Eli Ryder (he/him) is a full-time professor in the Creative Writing Department at Austin Community College (ACC). His horror and sci-fi has appeared in numerous online, in-print, and audio publications, and his plays have appeared on stage in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Eli has also appeared as a panelist and podcast guest for several venues discussing both the craft of writing and the thrill of dark fiction. He is a Roswell Award honoree and stole his M.F.A. from The University of California, Riverside. He plays Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), has the best kid ever, and is an avid lover of all things spooky.
How has your community college teaching experience shaped your character over your career?
Community college teaching has taught me, more than anything, to stay curious. After more than a decade in the classroom, I’ve learned to listen first and to be less certain that I already understand a student or a situation. No rule or teaching philosophy can tell me exactly what the person sitting in front of me needs, and learning to make those judgments has become an ongoing practice in practical wisdom. Students are individuals, and what works beautifully for one may be completely wrong for another. I’ve become more comfortable with the intellectual humility that requires, and more open to being surprised. I can teach something for years and still have a student ask a question that makes me see it differently. That experience has made me slower to assume I know who someone is or what they might bring to the room. Teaching has helped me hold on to a sense of wonder and to remain open to what I might learn from each new human encounter in the classroom.