Jamie

Helping students grow as writers is one of the great joys of my professional life. Whether it's a high school student learning to shape a personal essay, a college student tackling creative writing, or an adult returning to the page after years away, I love working one-on-one to unlock someone's voice and help them say exactly what they mean in their own words, and with confidence. I have over twenty years of experience teaching writing and communication, and I hold a PhD in English with a specialization in writing studies and media from Case Western Reserve University. My areas of focus include creative writing (poetry, nonfiction, and fiction), professional and academic writing, and critical reading and analysis. I've published both creative and scholarly work, and I bring that experience into every session, helping students not just improve their writing but understand the choices that make writing powerful and effective. My tutoring style is collaborative, encouraging, and student-centered. I believe writing is a process, not a test. Everyone, no matter their starting point, can become a strong and confident writer. I often use real-world prompts and creative warm-ups to make writing more engaging, and I work with students to set clear goals and develop specific, concrete strategies they can apply across classes and subjects.

Outside of tutoring, I’m a lifelong movie lover — especially horror films — and an avid video and board gamer. I also create poetry inspired by music and film, and I enjoy blending pop culture with deeper themes like identity, memory, grief, and resilience. I love helping students discover that their passions, whether sports, video games, music, or history, can become powerful sources of material for their writing. Tutoring allows me to meet students where they are, build their skills, and show them that writing doesn’t have to be intimidating. It can be playful, powerful, and even fun, and it’s one of the most important tools we have for making sense of the world and communicating who we are in it.