Susanne M. Davis
PROFESSIONAL HISTORY
Assistant Professor in Creative Writing, Hope College, July 1, 2020-Present.
Visiting Assistant Professor in English, Hope College, July 1, 2019-July 1, 2020.
Adjunct Faculty in Creative Writing, University of CT, 1999-2019.
Adjunct Faculty in Creative Writing, Eastern Connecticut State University, 2018-2019.
Adjunct Masters’ Faculty, Southern New Hampshire University, 2018-2019.
Visiting Assistant Professor in English, Trinity College, 2014-2018.
Adjunct Faculty, Bay Path University, 2013-2014.
Teaching Artist, Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism, 2007-Present.
Visiting Lecturer in Liberal Studies, Wesleyan University, 1993-1997.
Visiting Lecturer in English, Iowa State University, 1990-1992.
EDUCATION
M.F.A. in Creative Writing with Fiction concentration, University of Iowa. 1990.
B. A. in English, University of Connecticut.
M.F.A. THESIS
Lay Me Down to Sleep. Novel. Hemingway First Novel Contest winner (publication not included).
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Fiction, Creative nonfiction, American literature, Russian literature.
PUBLICATIONS
Fiction
Books
The Appointed Hour, University of Wisconsin’s Cornerstone Press, Dec. 2017.
Stories in Peer Reviewed Journals
“Under the Surface of Glass,” Workers Write!, Summer 2020.
“The Appointed Hour,” Notre Dame Review, July 2016. https://ndreview.nd.edu/archived-issues/ndr-42/.
“Unseen Angels,” Schuylkill Valley Journal, June 2016. http://www.svjlit.com/feature/unseen-angels-fiction-by-susanne-davis.
“Destiny’s Clothes,” An Unction from the Holy One, 4ink7, Oct. 2015.
“The Stray Dog,” St. Petersburg Review, Sept. 2008.
“Our Lady of Sorrows,” Feminist Studies, Vol. 32, Number 2, Summer 2006. https://go.gale.com/ps/anonymous?id=GALE%7CA154448573&sid=googleScholar&v=2.1&it=r&linkaccess=abs&issn=00463663&p=AONE&sw=w.
“Under the Surface of Glass,” The Boston Fiction Annual Review, v.1, issue 1, pgs. 117-132. 2006.
“The Object of Desire,” Carve, Jan. 2005.
“The Painted Lady,” Zone 3, vol. XVIII, Nos. 1&2. 2003.
“Useless John.” Vermont Literary Review, Spring 2002.
“The Ancestor’s Voice.” descant, Vol. 41 pgs. 110-118. 2002.
“The Law of Gravity.” Notre Dame Review, Vol. 9, pgs. 68-77. 2000. https://ndreview.nd.edu/assets/177856/ndr9.pdf
“John Mason’s Eye.” descant, Vol. 37.2/38.1, pgs. 37-42. 1998.
“Dancing at the Sky Top with Andrea.” Hartford Advocate, Jan. 1/1, pgs.10-11. 1998.
“Choices.” American Short Fiction, Vol. 7, No. 25, pgs. 27-37. 1997.
“Elias Brewster’s Resurrection” (story excerpt). Des Moines Skywalker, June 6, pg.8. 1990.
Creative Nonfiction
“Last Stop Merzouga,” Amethyst Review, August 2020.
“The Power of Education,” Fredericksburg Literary and Art Review, July 2018. https://issuu.com/amybayne/docs/flar_s_s_2018.
“A Season of High Skies,” Mothers Always Write, Feb. 2016. https://mothersalwayswrite.com/a-season-of-high-skies/.
A Writer’s Voice Indelible on the Page, Amazon, 2014.
eBook, The Stress to Success Factor, Contributing author with Linda LeBlanc, 2013.
News Articles and Features (Approximately 30. Representative sample listed.)
“Ethics: Teaching and Practicing Professional Responsibility.”
Harvard Law Bulletin. Spring. 1988.
“The Constitution and What to Make of It,” and “The Future of the Federal System.” Harvard Magazine. Jan.- Feb. 1988.
“Taking Things Personally: Impressions from Three Women Writers.” The Business Record. Oct. 28-Nov. 3. 1991.
“Harvard Law Students Offer Tax Assistance.” Cambridge Chronicle, 3/3. 1988.
Writing Under Submission
Short Stories: “The Dacha” to: Harvard Review, Glimmer Train, Boulevard. “Merciful Like the Father,” to The Common, Georgia Review, Notre Dame Review.
Novels: GIVE YOUR GRIEF TO THE LAND and GRAVITY HILL under submission to major New York editors.
AWARDS
George and Eliza Gardner Howard Foundation Fellowship, Brown University, semi-finalist 2020.
Connecticut Press Club, 1st place honors for essay “The Power of Education.” 2019.
New Millennium Writing Awards, honorable mention for short story “The Dacha.” 2019.
Santa Fe Writers Project 2017 Literary Awards Program: The Long List. 2017.
University of Kentucky Prose Series, runner up. 2015.
Indiana Review Prize, semi-finalist, 2006.
Raymond Carver Award, short listed, 2004.
Reynolds Price Short Fiction Award, finalist, 2003.
Brenda Ueland Prose Prize, finalist, 2001.
Heekin Group Foundation James Fellowship, final round, 1999.
Dana Award for Novel in Progress, semi-finalist, 1999.
Best American Short Stories, 1998. Mention: 100 Distinguished Stories.
Heekin Group Foundation Tara Fellowship for Short Fiction, semi-finalist, 1998.
Hartford Advocate fiction contest, first prize, 1997.
American Short Fiction fiction contest, second prize, 1996.
Hemingway First Novel Competition, winner, 1995.
Iowa Arts Council Literary Awards Program, finalist, 1990.
INVITED PRESENTATIONS
Invited Panelist. AWP Conference, San Antonio, TX. March 2020.
Invited Panelist. AWP Conference, Portland, OR. March 2019.
Invited Panelist. Short Story Authors’ Panel, Trident Bookstore and Café, Boston, MA. Oct. 2018.
“A Writer’s Indelible Voice,” Mark Twain House Writers Weekend, Hartford, CT. 2016.
“Writer as Witness,” Greater Hartford Women’s Conference, 2010.
“Soul Mountain Retreat,” Literary Life in the Lymes, Old Lyme, CT. 2010.
“A Workshop in Short Fiction,” Algonkian Writers Conferences, New York, 2006-2008.
Fiction Reading, Boston Fiction Festival, Boston, 2006.
The Appointed Hour
Book Reading, RJ Julia Bookstore, Middletown, CT. March 2019.
Book Reading, River’s Bend Books, Glastonbury, CT. March 2019.
Book Reading, Book Club Bookstore, South Windsor, CT. Nov. 2018.
Book Reading, Trident Bookstore, Boston, MA. Oct. 2018.
Book Signing, Bank Square Books, Mystic, CT. Oct. 2018.
Featured Author Interview with Melissa Rosati, host “The Heroine’s Circle, MNN TV, NY, NY. Oct. 2018.
“Putting Together a Short Story or Essay Collection,” Mark Twain House Writers Weekend, Hartford, CT. Sept. 2018.
Invited Speaker, Otis Library Book Club, Norwich, CT. Sept. 2018.
Invited Speaker, Connecticut Author and Publisher Association, Avon, CT. Sept. 2018.
Featured Author, Connecticut Authors Trail, Killingly Library, Killingly, CT. Aug. 2018.
Reading, Saxton B. Little Free Library, Columbia, CT. May 2018.
Reading,Barnes and Noble UCONN Hartford Bookstore, Hartford, CT. May 2018.
Reading, Otis Library, Norwich, CT. May 2018.
Reading, Trinity College, Hartford, CT. April 2018.
Invited Speaker, Connecticut Author and Publisher Association, Groton, CT. April 2018.
Reading, Bank Square Books, Mystic, CT. April 2018.
Featured Author, Welles Turner Memorial Library Local Authors Fair, Glastonbury, CT. Mar. 2018.
Reading, Aldrich Free Public Library, Moosup, CT. Feb. 2018.
Reading, UCONN Storrs Downtown Barnes&Noble, Storrs, CT. Feb. 2018.
WINY Radio Interview w/host Gary Osbrey, Putnam, CT. Feb. 2018.
WILI Radio Inteview w/host Wayne Norman, Willimantic, CT. Feb. 2018.
Reading, Mark Twain House, Hartford, CT. Dec. 2017.
Book Launch and Reading, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, WI. Dec. 2017.
International Women’s Writers Guild:
- “The Art of the Pitch.” Fall Big Apple, NY. 2014.
- “Write Your Story in Your Own Voice,” Drew U., Madison, NJ. 2013.
- “Harness Your Creativity for Business Writing,” Briarcliff Manor, NY. 2013.
- “Discovering Your Characters: Listening Then Crafting,” Yale. New Haven, CT. 2011.
Selected UCONN Service
“Finding Your Voice through Journaling and Writing,” UCONN Women’s Advance Conference. 2012.
“Revision in Creative Writing,” UCONN Conference on Teaching of Writing. 2012.
Connecticut Writing Project Visiting Writer. 2007-2008.
Fiction Presenter Connecticut Writing Project Summer Institute. 2000-2006.
SELECTED TEACHING EXPERIENCE
(I had sole experience for teaching and designing the syllabi for all of the following courses.)
Creative Writing
Introductory Creative Writing (Hope, Trinity, UCONN and Eastern). Introductory creative writing course in which students read contemporary and diverse fiction, nonfiction and poetry and write stories, essays and poems of their own, practicing and studying the various elements and techniques of each genre. New Media high impact oral history podcast storytelling project, “Finding Our Common Humanity” gives students opportunity to interview people from marginalized communities, using the power of digital storytelling to cultivate skills of writer as witness. 2000-Present.
Intermediate Creative Writing (UCONN). Intermediate creative writing courses concentrate on two genres, either fiction/nonfiction or fiction/poetry. Students read novels, short stories, essay collections and poetry collections and writing theory texts and build a substantial portfolio of their revised work. Students develop skill to craft longer work and research outlets and submit. 2000-Present.
Advanced Creative Writing (Hope, Trinity and UCONN). Advanced creative writing courses concentrate on fiction. Students read short stories and advanced writing theory texts and write a polished portfolio of their own work as well as cover letter, query, and synopsis to submit portfolio for publication. 2016-Present.
Story and Concept (Southern New Hampshire University). Online graduate creative writing course concentrating on creating story concept with character sketches, plot points, world-building, book description and synopsis. Students read original texts and craft resources to write a comprehensive story concept for their creative work. 2018-2019.
Writing Our Sense of Place (Graduate Liberal Studies, Wesleyan). Students read and wrote about personal and cultural sense of place in nonfiction writing. 1995.
Writing the Human Experience (Graduate Liberal Studies, Wesleyan). Students explored how writing nonfiction reveals the self and what that self says about humanity by studying, analyzing and practicing techniques and forms of nonfiction writing. Readings included: James Agee, Walker Percy, Virginia Woolf, John McPhee, Leslie Marmon Silko, Alice Walker. 1993-96.
Literature
The Short Story (UCONN). This short story survey course focused on American short stories and international short stories; authors included Mishima, Chekhov, Hemingway, Hurston, Joyce, Jin, Erdrich. 2008-2011, 2017.
Composition
Rhetoric (Hope and Trinity). Introduction to expository writing, with attention to analytical reading, critical thinking and writing for courses across the college curriculum. Assignments offer students opportunities to read and write about culture, politics, literature, science, and other subjects. Emphasis is placed on helping students to develop their individual skills through process and portfolio. 2015-2020.
Advanced Expository Writing (UCONN). Students in this study abroad course began at UCONN reading and writing about American sense of place, then traveled for two weeks to St. Petersburg, Russia to read and discuss Russian writers and continue writing about sense of place while displaced. They also attended afternoon language classes, seminars, literary walks, readings and cultural events. 2006-2008.
Approaches to Literature (UCONN). Students studied a variety of approaches to literature and their critical assumptions. 1999-2000.
Literary Genres (Bay Path). Selected readings in fiction, poetry and drama introduced students to literary types and techniques. Readings provided basis for discussion, analysis and development of critical judgment. Continued practice in writing stressed and students completed research paper. Readings included Baldwin, Bishop, Dickinson, Dove, Sophocles, Ibsen. 2012-2013.
OTHER PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Owner, facilitator, Words on Fire Studio Workshops. 2006-Present.
Creator, YouTube Channel, “How to Create a Writer’s Life.” 2019.
Visiting Writer, EO Smith High School, Storrs, CT. Spring 2009.
Visiting Writer, Israel Putnam Elementary School 2009, Meriden, CT. Spring 2009.
Writer-in-Residence, Pawcatuck Middle School, Pawcatuck, CT. 2004 -06.
Associate News Director, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA. 1985-88.
STATE AND NATIONAL SERVICE
International Women’s Writing Guild, Board of Directors, 2010-2015.
IMPAC-CT. Young Writer’s Awards, Board of Directors, 2006-2012.
IMPAC-CT. Judge, Statewide Poetry Contest, 2006-2012.
Borders Bookstore Reading Series Co-Director, Des Moines, IA 1990-1991.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Associated Writing Programs, member.
International Women’s Writing Guild, member.
Connecticut Author and Publisher Association, member.
Connecticut Press Club, member.