About our Tutors
Brooke Baker spent 9 years working with writers and writing from across the curriculum at the University of Michigan and taught freshman composition at Mott Community College in Flint, MI. When she’s not wandering the halls muttering to herself or asking random questions of strangers, she can be found in the Write Place or driving through Canada.
Jen Cervantes invites you to the Write Place where she can actively listen to your needs for improving your composition skills. She encourages you to sit at the table, where together, you can develop and practice the writing processes that can strengthen your writing voice, and gain strategies that can help you succeed in college and beyond. In addition to tutoring, she also instructs Developmental Studies courses.
Katherine Clark enjoys sharing her "thoughts and theories" on her favorite subject: English Literature. Katherine continually encourages her students--both inside and outside of the classroom--to do their best. Writer's are not born over night. She believes "every masterpiece is flawed" and there's always room for improvement. If Katherine is not in the classroom, then chances are she's exploring the park with her dog--Eastman--or she's finding new ideas for "what's for dinner" at the Rochester Public Market.
Charlotte Cline graduated from the University of Rochester (B.A.) and the University of Maryland (M.F.A.), and she has been working at FLCC since gradumutation. She doesn't believe in numbers, but she does believe in well placed dashes (never ellipses...).
Addie Cook and her husband both enjoy history. They live in a house in the woods with unweeded gardens, and a spoiled cat and dog. She paints in watercolor, oil, and acrylics and sculpts in clay and bronze. She is also a muralist and some of her decorative works will be at the Christkindl Mart Nov. 13-15.
Addie’s education is from Canisius and Sweet Briar College where she was lucky enough to have had classes with William Faulkner, William Golding and Robert Frost (she is very old) Her teaching career spanned 3 states: New York, Washington D.C., and Illinois. She also wrote curricula for theatre, myth, literary criticism, grammar, and art appreciation. Teaching is always enlightening.
Natalie DeVaull suspects that writers occasionally stretch the truth in order to sound more interesting. In any case, Natalie has lived in a yurt and can perform an impressive snake dance on command. In addition to this – and the following has been fact-checked by a reliable source – she attended the University of Michigan and Sarah Lawrence College, received her MFA in Writing, and has been teaching English at FLCC since 2008. When she isn’t grading essays, she works on her own writing and helps her husband build his acupuncture clinic. She truly enjoys working with other writers, and she can be found most days in the Write Place where she’ll be doing just that.
David Druschel had a career in business and sales before gaining an MA English (Writing Sequence) from the University at Albany in 2000. He taught Composition and Literature at Schenectady County Community College from 2002-2007. Widowed in 2006, he returned to his native Western New York in late 2007 and started at FLCC in Spring Term of '08, teaching ENG 101 and 102. He has published fiction in U.S. and Irish literary magazines and is in the late stages of a comic novel.
Mary Flannery (hey that’s me!) is going to school for Early Childhood Education. She likes writing poetry and short stories. She’s friendly and outgoing and can’t wait to help you with whatever you need help with. Come and see her! ^.^
Renna Killian went to high school in Canandaigua. She was a child of the 60's, and yes, she was at Woodstock in 1969. She has lived in Boston and NYC and many places in between. She received her Associates Degree in Liberal Arts at FLCC. She has 3 certifications in education and an English Literature Degree from Nazareth College. Her Master's studies in education was through Phoenix On-Line. She loves literature, history and writing...She’s also a little obsessive about grammar and mechanics in the practice of writing (though, she still does make her own mistakes). She has been an adjunct instructor at FLCC since the mid 1990's.
Samantha Cathryn Carol Mergenthaler urges you to simply call her Sam. She is a humanities major here at FLCC. A graduate of Canandaigua Academy, she plans to transfer to a four year college to earn her Doctorate degree in English Literature with a focus in Creative Writing. She loves to write both stories and poetry, and does so often. It is her hope to publish a book in the near future. She also loves to read and listen to music. Her taste in these areas ranges from Rowling to Faulkner, and from Ingrid Michaelson to Underoath.
With academic preparations in English and Philosophy, Nani Nehring Bliss has spent the last 20 years as a writer, artist, educator and activist. Since joining the FLCC community in 1999, Nani has studied Fine Art and Massage, staffed the media and circulation desks in the Library, and mentored students in the Write Place. Most recently, her efforts have focused on the creation (2007) and ongoing stewardship of the FLCC Honors House. In addition to working closely with Honors students and faculty as a writing specialist, she curates the Honors House Alumni Gallery, co-hosts the Honoring the Muse events series, and co-advises the Writers Bloc student writers group.
Shane Ottman is a math major who has an instinctive ability for discussing text and possibility.
Maureen Owens received her MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University, Los Angeles and earned her BA in Literature from Binghamton University. Her poetry has been anthologized in Knocking on the Silence, Common Intuitions, and Beyond Forgetting: Poetry and Prose about Alzheimer's Disease. She has also had poems published in ImageArt and Gertrude. Maureen’s first book of poetry, She Sleeps With Dogs, is published by Foothills Publishing.
Maureen teaches English 101 and 102 at the Wayne County campus, and represents The Write Place there, as well.
Maureen lives in Seneca Falls and offers private writing and creativity workshops, as well as mentoring services for passionate poets.
Katherine Stathis, a graduate of FLCC, teaches English and Public Speaking. Now in her 6th year of service to the Write Place, Katherine continues to witness the many astounding and inspiring feats of power students accomplish with simple pen and paper.
Jessica Underwood is a tutor in training who will be working at our Geneva Campus Center.
Kevin VanKirk is roughly eight feet tall and weighs one hundred pounds. He would be an English major, but that degree doesn't exist. He enjoys writing creative non-fiction and prose poetry, and reading pretty much anything. If you need to find him, he'll either be mailing things in Rochester or lounging on the Honors House couches. There is also a Write Place extension at the Honors House, which is where he probably works.