Kristin Abraham, MFA
Ashford University's very own poet laureate is Prof. Kristin Abraham, Assistant Professor of English. She is the author of two poetry chapbooks, Orange Reminds You of Listening (Elixir Press, 2006) and Little Red Riding Hood Missed the Bus (Subito Press, 2008), the title poem of which appears in Best New Poets 2005. Her work has been featured in such national literary magazines as The Journal, Court Green, LIT, Valparaiso Poetry Review, Review Revue, Dislocate, and Rattle. Ashford is proud to claim Abraham among its faculty.
But Abraham's role at Ashford involves much more than just sitting quietly by a lake with a notebook. She is actively involved in many different aspects of the campus community. She advises the staff of the student newspaper, The Clarion. In addition to teaching writing, she also instructs classes on literature and oral communication.
She is truly a born teacher. Of her teaching style, Abraham says, "I am the 'conference queen.' Most of my teaching - and most of my students' learning - is done one-on-one in my office. Students meet with me individually in my office to discuss their writing, progress with assignments, revision plans, questions, concerns, etc." She loves to focus on the process of learning, rather than the end result. For her, no grade is ever final - she empowers students to keep revising their work as many times as possible.
Ashford students aren't the only ones who benefit from her expertise. As a member of PEN America, Abraham volunteers to teach creative writing to prison inmates via correspondence. One of Abraham's biggest contributions to Ashford is her Prison Book Project. She collects books and sends them directly to prison libraries in need. In this effort, she has partnered with AU librarian Flora Lowe, and together they are donating out-of-date books to people who can still use and benefit from them.
What does she love most about teaching at Ashford? "When I came to Ashford's campus for my interview, it was obvious that I had found what I was looking for: people smile and say hi to each person they pass in the hallways, often because they know that person very well, and teachers, staff, and students speak of - and to - each other with genuine admiration."