Austin VanKirk

CURRICULUM VITAE
2525 Meanwell Rd., Petersburg, Mich. 49270
419.297.5824 | advankirk@me.com
Education
Ph.D. Rhetoric & Composition | Wayne State University, Detroit, Mich. | Expected 2020

MFA Creative Writing | Western Washington University, Bellingham, Wash. | 2016

Thesis: Heart’s Desire (Novel)
Chair: Assoc. Prof. Kathryn Trueblood
Multi-genre creative writing studies, focusing in fiction with thesis work culminating in the first stages of a
novel that explores the norm-bending Taos, New Mexico Artist Colony of the 1930s.

BA English | Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich. | 2012

Dual majors: English, focus in Creative Writing, and Professional Writing focus in Editing and
Publishing.

Teaching Experience
Wayne State University | Graduate Teaching Assistant | Aug. 2017 – Present
Courses Taught:
• ENG 1020, Basic Composition
• ENG 3050, Technical Writing I

Jackson College | Adjunct Instructor | Aug. 2016 – Aug. 2017

Courses Taught:
• ENG 091, Basic Writing
• ENG 131, Composition I
• ENG 132, Composition II
• HUM 131, Introduction to the Humanities

Western Washington University | Graduate Instructor | Apr. 2015 – June 2015

Courses Taught:
• ENG 101, First Year Writing
• SAA 340, Paraprofessional Advising
• ENG 351, Introduction to Fiction Writing (Teaching Assistant)
• ENG 350, Introduction to Creative Writing (Teaching Assistant

Scholarly Activity
Editorial Assistant, Journal of Educational Controversy | Bellingham, Wash. | Sept. 2014 – Aug. 2015

Content Reviewer, Write Moves Creative Writing Textbook | Summer ’15

Production Editor, Red Cedar Review | East Lansing, Mich. | May 2011 – Aug. 2012

Service

Composition Learning Community Participant and CLC Showcase Organizer

English 1010 Committee, Wayne State English Composition Program

Composition Program Review, Professional Development Session, Jackson College

Director & Founder, Teaching Experience for English Masters Students (T.E.E.M.S.)

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Professional Experience

BNP Media, (SDM Magazine) | Troy, Mich. | April 2014 – October 2014
Assistant Editor

Flame Magazine | Remote | July 2013 – August 2015

Managing Editor; Columnist

BNP Media | Troy, Mich. | May 2013 – April 2014; October 2014 – August 2015
Online Support Coordinator

Michigan State University Press | East Lansing, Mich. | April 2010 – Aug. 2012
Marketing Assistant and Editorial & Productions Assistant

Publications & Presentations

“Liminal Places, Liminal Beings: Orientations in Truman Capote’s Other Voices, Other Rooms.”
The Louisville Conference on Literature and Culture Since 1900, presented February 2018,
University of Louisville, Louisville, KY. Conference Presentation.

“Putting the ‘Queer’ Back In Queer Families: Reconciling Family, Convention, and Queerness in E. M. Forster’s
Maurice.” 2016 PCA/ACA Conference, presented April 2016, Seattle, WA. Conference Presentation.
The Stars Care for None, a novel. Grey Wolfe Publishing, March 2014.
“Home for the Holidays.” Winter Legends 2013, May 2014.
“Become Who You Are” Monthly column in FLAME Magazine, 2013–2015.
“Sticks and Stones,” The Offbeat Vol. 12, 2013.
“Alone on the Subway,” The Offbeat Vol. 11, May 2012.
“Open for Opinion.” Consider Magazine, October 2012. Co-authored with Shelby Hearn.

Honors & Awards

The 2015–16 English Department Honorable Mention Award for Teaching Excellence
Awarded yearly to a second-year graduate instructor of English in recognition for valuable
contributions to the Western Washington University English Dept.

Passed with Distinction, Creative Writing MFA Qualifying Exam

All Creative Writing MFA candidates must pass this written exam to be considered for the degree.

MSU Creative Arts Scholarship

Awarded based on the creative merit of a portfolio to an incoming freshman to the College of Arts
and Sciences at Michigan State University totaling $10,000.

Jim Cash Creative Writing Award

Granted to a creative writing student at Michigan State University who has submitted a portfolio of
exceptional work.

Marcia E. Platt and Douglas L. Ruble Scholarship

This scholarship is awarded to creative writing students at Michigan State University who’ve
submitted 10–30 pages of work for consideration.

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