Elizabeth Cowan received her BA in philosophy and writing from the University of Pittsburgh and her MFA. in writing from the University of Iowa, where she taught for four years. She has since taught college writing courses at a variety of institutions: public and private, four years and two, rural and urban. In 2008, she joined the Laney College English faculty, teaching Foundations in Reading and Writing (269A/B) and Composition and Reading (1A) before joining the Gateway to College program, for which she taught 2009-2012. She currently teaches Preparation for Composition & Reading (201A/B ) and 1A for the APASS program. In addition to her work with Peralta, she also teaches at Saint Mary’s College of California, including a course on Writing for the Liberal Arts for the San Francisco LEAP program. She has worked in curriculum development, writing center administration, and teacher training, but finds the most rewarding aspects of her work take place in the classroom, in dialogue with students.
office: Tower 514
email: ecowan@peralta.edu
Eleni Economides Gastis is a Laney College alumna (’03) who went on to receive her bachelor’s in Journalism and International Relations from San Francisco State University. After a few years as a reporter for Bay Area News Group and the San Francisco Examiner—where she covered local communities and crime—Miss G returned to SFSU for her Master’s in English Composition and a Certificate in Teaching Postsecondary Reading. She teaches all levels of English and journalism and enjoys spending time in Greece with her family.
office: G233
email: eegastis@peralta.edu
Judy Juanita is a novelist, poet and playwright. Her first novel,Virgin Soul, was published by Viking Press in 2013; its protagonist joins the Black Panther Party in the sixties in the San Francisco Bay Area. Ms. Juanita’s poetry has been widely published and her plays produced in the Bay Area, LA, and NYC. She earned an MFA in creative writing and BA in psychology from San Francisco State University. She has taught Preparation for Composition and Reading (English 201A/B), Composition and Reading (1A), Composition and Literature (1B), Fundamentals of Reading and Writing (269 A/B) and creative writing (English 010/210) at Laney College for the past two decades.
office: Tower 514
email: jjuanita@peralta.edu
website: www.judyjuanitasvirginsoul.com
Ian Latta teaches Reading and Composition, American Literature and Tutor Training courses. . He has taught Integrated Reading and Writing classes at SF State University, where he earned his Master’s in English in 2012. He also holds Certificates in teaching Composition and Post-Secondary Reading from SF State and a Bachelor’s in English from UC Berkeley. His research interests include Post-Process Composition, Multi-Modal Writing, and the intersection of music and language in Sound Poetry and Hip Hop. Even though he admits it is a cliche, he says he learns something new every day from teaching at Laney and from the writing of his students.
office: Tower 514
email: ilatta@peralta.edu
David Mullen
office: B 251
email: dmullen@peralta.edu
Adrienne Oliver teaches creative writing, African American Literature, English 1A and English 1B. She earned a BA in Psychology from Hendrix College (Conway, AR), a Master of Arts in Professional and Technical Writing from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and a Master of Fine Arts in English and Creative Writing from Mills College. She lives in Oakland with a few other artists sharing a huge Victorian house. She can often be found hanging out with her writer friends gabbing about her first novel in progress.
office: Tower 514
email: aoliver@peralta.edu
website:https://laney.edu/aoliver/
Roger Porter is from Oakland, CA. He earned his AA from Laney College in 2003, a BA from UC Berkeley with a concentration in multicultural literature in 2005, and a Master of Fine Arts in English and Creative Writing from Mills College in 2009. While teaching at Laney he has taught Foundations in Reading & Writing (269 A/B), Composition and Reading (1A), Critical Thinking (5), and African-American literature (031). He curates and hosts a quarterly reading series called “Soulful.”
office: Tower 508
email: rporter@peralta.edu
Chris Stroffolino earned a PhD from SUNY-Albany, and taught at Rutgers, NYU, Temple, LIU before moving west to become Visiting Distinguished Poet-in-Residence at Saint Mary’s College from 2001-2006, where he taught graduate seminars in poetry and poetics, as well as undergraduate literature and writing courses. At Laney, he has taught English 1A, as well as Shakespeare (English 017 and 217) and Creative Writing (English 10 and 210).
He has published two books of literary criticism, seven books of poetry, and won NYFA and Fund For Poetry grants. He has recorded and has performed his music on NPR’s Studio 360. At Laney, he teaches Preparation for Composition and Reading (English 201A&B).
office: Tower 514
email: chris.stroffolino@gmail.com
Prasanna Vengadam teaches Composition and Reading and Critical Thinking (English 5) courses at Laney. She also teaches 1A courses at De Anza College and has taught Speech and Business Communications courses at other state universities and community colleges over the 13 years. Prasanna has a bachelor’s and master’s in British Literature, and a master’s in English (specialization in Technical Communications) from Northeastern University in Boston, MA. Prior to teaching, Prasanna worked as a writer in corporate and marketing communications. She is passionate about civic engagement and has served as a board member in civic organizations. She founded a South Asian American non-profit group in Michigan that advocates for civil rights and immigration and naturalization needs. Prasanna is also a graduate of Multicultural Leadership Series and Center for Progressive Leadership program.
office: Tower 514
email: pvengadam@peralta.edu
Antonio Watkins teaches Composition and Reading (which includes the UBAKA learning community). He earned a BA in English from Stanford and a Master of Fine Arts in Fiction in 2006. He lives in Richmond, CA with his wife, and can often be found reading a book, riding a motorcycle, or playing a guitar.
office: Tower 512
email: awatkins@peralta.edu
Chris Weidenbach teaches Composition & Reading (English 1A ), Creative Writing (English 010A&B, English 210A&B), and literature courses including English 1B, Shakespeare (English 017 & 217), and Poetry (English 043 & 243). He earned a BA in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing from Loyola University-Chicago in 1993, and a Master of Fine Arts in Poetry from the University of Arizona in 1997. His poetry is weird, but has found some publication, including at Laney’s Good Newsmagazine. He lives in Oakland with his wife and son (and two cats), advocates for democracy and human rights, tries to maintain a strong cardio status, and hollers like a fool for the A’s at the Coliseum.
office: Tower 550
email: cweidenbach@peralta.edu
website:laney.edu/chris-weidenbach
Shari Weiss teaches Composition & Reading, Creative Writing (English 010A&B, English 210A&B), and Critical Thinking (English 5). She earned a BS in Journalism with an emphasis in English and Political Science in 1969 from Northwestern University and an MA in Public Relations from Kent State University in 1980. She lives in Novato, CA with her dog, cats, watercolors, and yoga outfits. She can often be found playing bridge or walking Lola, the Lhasa Apso Terrier.
office: Tower 510
email: sharisax@aol.com
website(s): www.sharisax.com
Staff
Marie Trinh, Instructional Assistant: English / Writing Support
