Anderson, Christie; Instructor |
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Office: 5-160
Phone: (509) 533-3612
Email: Christie.Anderson@spokanefalls.edu
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M.A. Traditional Studies in Language and Literature, Eastern Washington University
(1991) Thesis: Teaching Whole Language to Whole People as Adult Learners
B.A.E. English and Fine Art, Secondary Ed. Eastern Washington University (1986)
My special interest lies in matters of diversity and multiculturalism. I teach various
writing and literature courses, and, in all my classes, I find there is a place to learn about,
understand, and celebrate many of the voices that make the world. I have a strong sense of community,
knowing that we tend do better when we are part of a group, moving toward similar goals, so my
teaching strategies often include short and long term collaboration among class members. Working with
students at SFCC to achieve their academic goals has and continues to be a particular pleasure. "I have
discovered in life that there are ways of getting almost anywhere you want to go, if you really want to go."
Langston Hughes
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Ankcorn, Beth; Instructor |
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Office: 5-153
Phone: (509) 533-3561
Email: Beth.Ankcorn@spokanefalls.edu
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Are you looking for an adventure? Do you want to learn more? I welcome the students who make the bold and
life-changing choice to study abroad. I look forward to meeting you.
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Anthony, Jared; Instructor |
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Office: 24-209
Phone: (509) 533-3607
Email: Jared.Anthony@spokanefalls.edu
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I never saw myself going to college. Eight years after high school, I started taking accounting classes in the
evenings at Portland Community College in hopes of getting a raise at work. I transferred to Clark College, another
community college across the river in Vancouver, WA. I had to take an English class, and I loved it. I saw how much
fun my instructor was having, and I decided that was what I wanted to do for a living, too. Fourteen years later, I
earned my PhD in Rhetoric and Composition at the same time as I started working here at SFCC. I know community
colleges can change lives for the better because it happened to me. And now I get to play a role in making it
happen for my students. I feel like I'm living the dream.
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Bleck, Brad; Instructor |
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Office: 5-157
Phone: (509) 533-3572
Email: Bradley.Bleck@spokanefalls.edu
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A third generation citizen of Spokane, Bradley returned to SFCC in 2001 after five
years of teaching and developing online and computer assisted English classes in Las
Vegas. Along with Bradley's love of teaching writing with the aid of computer
technologies, he brings a love of British and American literature. His favorite
literary figure is James Boswell, father of the literary biography; his favorite
contemporary writer is Irishman Roddy Doyle.
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Blizzard, Allison; ESL Instructor |
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Office: 5-152
Phone: (509) 533-3581
Email: Allison.Blizzard@spokanefalls.edu
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Hello! I look forward to meeting and greeting you here in beautiful Spokane. Because I teach classes in both the
Intensive English Language Program and the ESL Bridge Program, I'm sure we'll have the pleasure of working together!
I also coordinate the ESL Program at SFCC, so if you have any questions, just contact me.
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Carlson, Linnea; Instructor |
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Office: 5-126
Phone: (509) 533-3156
Email: Linnea.Carlson@spokanefalls.edu
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Linnea Carlson has a B.A. in English and a B.A. in Education from Whitworth, a Master's from E.W.U., and is
A.B.D. at W.S.U. She graduated "suma cum something". (She consistently admonishes students not to procrastinate
but apparently doesn't listen to her own advice.) She has been teaching since Dinosaurs roamed the earth.
Her first 101 class had some of her fellow high school grads in it.
She lives in a crumbling 106 year old home on the South hill and knows nothing about basic home maintenance.
(However in the fictional realm plumbing doesn't matter, aesthetics do.) Her son Conrad will be a senior in
college soon; so far he has managed to pay for all his education with academic scholarships despite taking
courses like calculus 3 and physics 3. For the past two years he has worked a part time minimum wage job and
managed to save $20,000 for the down payment on a home. Where he obtained this maturity is a mystery; it is
certainly not genetic.
The "Love of her Life" is a LIBERAL from the "Outback" of North Idaho. He prefers to live with elk and moose
instead of her (--if you knew how difficult she is to live with you'd understand.) He is on two Search and
Rescue teams and often volunteers to be "shot at" by the Spokane Police in mock training. Her major passion
is competitive running and despite a lack of humility she has failed to encounter the proverbial "Achilles'
heel thus far.
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DeLauder, Cynde; Instructor |
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Office: 5-125
Phone: (509) 533-3886
Email: Cynde.DeLauder@spokanefalls.edu
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I've travelled a long way to get to Spokane. I was raised and educated in Upstate New York,
in the Adirondacks, and I received my BA in English Literature at St. Lawrence University in 1982.
After a detour away from academics I found my way back, receiving my MA in Literature from the
University of Alaska Anchorage program in 1990. I taught there for 6 years, and then my husband
was transferred to Spokane. I started teaching at SFCC in 1996, shortly after we moved down.
I teach a variety of courses, from developmental reading and writing to English Comp and Introduction
to Literature. Much of what I do these days is online. For fun I read voraciously, do yoga, in a
desperate attempt to find my center (It is out there somewhere), and raise my children.
I am blessed to have found a job that doesn't feel like work, and I am thankful daily for the support
and challenges I face as a member of the English faculty.
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Doerr, Mark; Instructor |
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Office: 24-240
Phone: (509) 533-3828
Email: Mark.Doerr@spokanefalls.edu
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Writing is a way of organizing your thinking. What better skill to develop in college. Mark Doerr helps you
sharpen your thinking in English and Journalism classes. He's been a journalist, a columnist, an editor and has
actually been paid for those activities (not much, but who's counting?). He earned his B.A. at Eastern
Washington State College (EWU today) in Radio-Television and his M.A. at Eastern Washington University (didn't
travel far, did he?) in Creative Writing. He's been teaching various kinds of ways to communicate at SFCC since
1981.
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Fischer, Kellie; Instructor |
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Office: 24-313
Phone: (509) 533-3199
Email: Kellie.Fischer@spokanefalls.edu
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As an instructor, I approach writing the same way I approach the rest of my life: full speed ahead, but with quiet moments for
reflection and enjoying the beauty in our world. Students in my classes write about topics that are pertinent to our times and
our way of life. Sometimes these are heavy topics, but they are never boring. Because I believe that we will often rise only
to the level of expectations (our own or those of others), I expect great things from my students and provide the support
necessary for them to achieve those great things.
As a former student of SFCC, I knew exactly where I wanted to teach when I completed my MA in Literature at
EWU: Here at SFCC. The faculty, staff, and students, are the perfect mix of intelligence and dedication with some fun and
laughter thrown in for good measure. In order to enjoy the fun from a closer perspective, I am advisor to the Associated Women
Students club (which is soon to have a new name).
On a personal level, I am mother to six sons and grandmother to eight beautiful angels (2 boys and 6 girls)
with two more grandbabies on the way. My husband and I have been together for over thirty years and have recently moved to the
country on a mini-farm that brings delight to us all, a place where reflection comes naturally and singing children play
joyously as they discover their world.
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Freeman, Lisa; Instructor |
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Office: 24-211
Phone: (509) 533-3154
Email: Lisa.Freeman@spokanefalls.edu
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Growing up in Arizona, my earliest memories include using all of my family's office supplies to play teacher to
a classroom of stuffed animals and whatever neighborhood kids I could bribe to "sit still and quit passing notes!"
The beginning of the school year in September was, and still is, my favorite holiday season – instead of
balloons and streamers, I get a thrill from new boxes of pencils and spiral notebooks. After a BFA from the
University of Southern California, School of Cinema-Television and an MA in English from the University of Idaho,
I am contentedly rooted in Spokane with a patient husband, two somewhat civilized children, and a goofy Aussie
shepherd who is unconvinced he is a dog. Fortunately, I get to spend my days doing what I absolutely love –
teaching! If someone else could figure out "what's for dinner," life would be pretty close to perfect.
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Keast, Heather; Instructor |
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Office: 24-339
Phone: (509) 533-3698
Email: Heather.Keast@spokanefalls.edu
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I don't wear my hair in a bun, grade in red ink, or make you stand in the corner for
misusing "whom." I do read. A lot. I also watch movies. Too many. If I were not an
English teacher, I would be a writer of things with very bad endings, or a stand up
comic who made 2 people in the audience laugh and the other 4 people walk out.
Fortunately, I am an English teacher, and I would never be anything else. I love
seeing the little bulbs burst open with light above students' heads when they finally
get it.
I love inspiring people with a new passion for reading and writing
and thinking and talking. And I believe the best students are not those with the
highest grades but those who really want to learn.
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Kurtz, Stormy; Instructor |
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Office: 24-314
Phone: (509) 533-3171
Email: Stormy.Kurtz@spokanefalls.edu
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Stormy Kurtz grew up on a ranch near Livingston, Montana. She had the privilege of attending a one-room country school. It had
no running water, a coal stove and outhouses which seemed to be a hundred miles away to a first grader when the temperatures
dipped to -30 degrees. There was also a shed where students who rode their horses to school could tie them up for the day. She
often rode her horse the five miles from home to the school.
Because of deep snow and the thirty-mile distance to the nearest high school, after graduating from the
eighth grade, she attended a four-year boarding school in Minnesota. She continued her education at the University of Montana
and graduated with a BA in Secondary Education with an English Major and a Journalism Minor.
After a long break to raise her family, she went back to school to get her Masters Degree in Literature
from Eastern Washington University. She's been teaching at SFCC for fourteen years. She loves sharing her knowledge with
students and seeing them develop as scholars and citizens. Doing the math, she figures she's had the privilege of influencing
and getting to know over 2,100 students in her time at SFCC.
When not teaching, she enjoys the good life with her artist husband, her two paint horses and the
children's books she dreams of writing, but never quite finishes.
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La Bauve, Jean; Instructor |
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Office: 24-309
Phone: (509) 533-3610
Email: Jean.LaBauve@spokanefalls.edu
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Jean LaBauve's interest in learning communities stems from her philosophy that each
learner offers an important piece of wisdom to help construct knowledge within the
classroom. With nearly 20 years of teaching experience at EWU and at WSU's College of
Nursing before joining SFCC's faculty in 2000, Jean helps developmental readers and
writers prepare for college transfer courses. Her teaching includes the Communications
Learning Center, College Reading and Study Skills, and a variety of learning community
courses. Her hobbies include reading, gardening and ballet.
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Monnastes, Lori; Instructor |
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Office: 5-158
Phone: (509) 533-3688
Email: Lori.Monnastes@spokanefalls.edu
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I began my education right out of high school but decided to drop out one quarter away from graduating with my
AA degree here at SFCC. Making money was more important. After a six-year hiatus, I realized that I didn't want
to retire from K-Mart. I went back to school, got my degree from SCC, and went on to Eastern, but I struggled
as a single parent and student. My family, friends, and mentors were, and still are, my greatest resources. I
realize that students may be working, parenting, caretaking, and studying, sometimes until all hours of the
night, and there's often little reserve. I empathize, so I try to help students find those resources they may
not have yet discovered. Primarily, I teach English composition in courses designed to help student be
successful readers, writers and learners in college. I enjoy the wide variety of experiences students bring to
the classroom.
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Nedrow, Neil; Admin Assistant - CAML & English |
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Office: 5-119
Phone: (509) 533-3105
Email: Neil.Nedrow@spokanefalls.edu
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I graduated from Oregon State University with a BS in Engineering Physics, and from
Central Washington State College with a degree in Education. After Bible School and
19 years as a pastor, I taught as an Instructional Tech in an Electronics and Computer
Troubleshooting class at the Airway Heights Correction Center. Budget cuts eliminated
my position, so I transferred to the Program Assistant position in the Communications
Learning Center, and now serve as the Building 5 secretary. I never planned to be a
"secretary," but I thoroughly enjoy the work and find it fulfilling to serve the students
and staff at SFCC.
On the personal side, I'm a widower with two married daughters and one grandson. My mother
lives in my home, and we are great friends. In the summer, I like to take motorcycle camping
trips and I make an annual trek to Inchon, Korea, to visit my oldest daughter and family.
I enjoy electronics, mechanical things, reading, and learning.
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Nelson, Alexis; Instructor |
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Office: 24-338
Phone: (509) 533-3588
Email: Alexis.Nelson@spokanefalls.edu
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Midwestern by birth and education (A.B., M.A., Marquette University), Alexis Nelson has taught English at Spokane Falls since
1982, during which time she remained married, reared two children, and earned a Ph.D. (Gonzaga). She teaches developmental
writing, composition and literature (Intro, British Lit and Fiction) - all with equal enthusiasm. Because reading and writing
are the driving pleasures of her life, she works hard to demonstrate their value to students. Her favorite contemporary
authors include Alice Munro and Robert Coover. She serves as an editorial consultant for the journal Teaching English in the
Two-Year College and has served the college as Director of Composition (1993-2004) and as Chair of the Communications
Department (2005-2010). When she's not reading papers or books, she enjoys travel in Italy, gardening, and membership in two
book clubs.
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Nick, Sally; Instructor |
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Office: 24-313
Phone: (509) 533-4175
Email: Sally.Nick@spokanefalls.edu
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Sally began her work at Spokane Falls in 1988 as a tutor in the Communications Learning Center and in 1993 as an instructor.
Between these years she completed her Master's in Rhetoric and Composition at EWU with additional study in Reading and ESL. A
graduate of SFCC herself, she finds her work at SFCC to be enriching, full of opportunities to appreciate the nuances of
language. Through meeting people from diverse backgrounds, she sees SFCC as a "crossroads," a welcoming, supportive place for
all students, whether they are returning to school with specific goals or just beginning to explore career and education
opportunities.
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Read, Laura; Instructor |
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Office: 24-312
Phone: (509) 533-4173
Email: Laura.Read@spokanefalls.edu
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Laura Read was born in New York, but she has lived here in Spokane, except for brief stints in Paris and Washington D.C., since
she was 3 (a long time!). She received her B.A. degree from Gonzaga University in English and French and an M.F.A. in poetry
from Eastern Washington University. Laura has been teaching at Spokane Falls Community College since 1998, and she enjoys her
work here tremendously. She teaches courses in Composition, Literature, and Creative Writing. She is also a practicing poet.
She lives with her husband, Brad, and her two young sons, Benjamin and Matthew, and her dog, Wally.
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Simmons, Barbara; Instructor |
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Office: 24-210
Phone: (509) 533-3318
Email: Barbara.Simmons@spokanefalls.edu
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After 13 years of teaching English, I still can't believe I get to read, write, and converse for a living. Whenever I read
something interesting, my first thought is, "How could this be used in a writing or literature course?" Every quarter my
students surprise me with new insights. I have taught Charlotte Perkins Gilman's famous short story "The Yellow Wallpaper"
twelve times, and the margins of my text are full of years of student comments -- but the miracle is, they still find new things to
say that I've never thought of. Literature expands like that... and it expands our minds too... and that's why we should
study it. After earning my Master's Degree in English Literature at Washington State University, I taught at Spokane Falls from
1995-2001, then from 2008 to the present. I took a little time off to read piles of books to my baby daughters. Ryan Simmons
(pictured below) is my partner in crime. If you take my class you will find me asking you lots of big questions... and
expecting you to formulate your own answers.
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Simmons, Ryan; Instructor |
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Office: 5-159
Phone: (509) 533-3614
Email: Ryan.Simmons@spokanefalls.edu
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Ryan Simmons was born in Spokane and sojourned in Lewiston, Idaho, and Orem, Utah
before returning to teach composition, American literature, and African American literature
(among other courses). His wife, Barb, also teaches at SFCC, although his two daughters are
too busy attending elementary school to do so at this time. He amuses himself by writing about
himself in the third person and inventing bogus details for autobiographical statements. He is
the author of The Canterbury Tales and The Collected Works of William Shakespeare.
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Versteeg, Tom; Instructor |
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Office: 24-338
Phone: (509) 533-4182
Email: Tom.Versteeg@spokanefalls.edu
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A long-time resident of Spokane, Tom Versteeg received both his B.A. and M.A. from Eastern Washington University. He has been a
member of the English faculty at Spokane Falls since 1981, teaching developmental writing, composition, and literature. His
favorite contemporary authors include novelists Thomas Pynchon, Toni Morrison, and Robert Stone and poets W.S. Merwin, Mark
Strand, and the late Lucille Clifton. His advice for anyone who'd like to become a better writer: read; read a lot!
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Weller, Lavonne; Instructor |
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Office: 24-125
Phone: (509) 533-3912
Email: Lavonne.Weller@spokanefalls.edu
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Hello! I have been teaching composition and literature at SFCC since 1993 (about the time that picture of me was taken). I
earned my BA in secondary education and my MA in English with an emphasis on American literature from EWU. I live in Spokane
with my husband, who is an English professor at EWU. Our nest is now empty; three grown boys live on the west side of the
state, one daughter is living in Spokane and raising our grandson Tye, and one daughter is finishing her BA at WSU. My
non-school-related activities are varied and random. Along with the expected "English teacher-y" things like reading and
writing, I enjoy making stuff -- I spent a summer embossing sheets of copper that became the coolest kitchen ceiling this side
of, well, anywhere; I once attended a weekend workshop on wood carving and then set immediately to designing and hand-carving
a king-sized headboard (it took me five summers to finish, but some things just can't be rushed). Teaching, too, is a creative
activity for me. I'm always trying to bring something new and fun to my classes. Join me in a comp class and learn why
penguins should not be allowed to drive!
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Westermann, Josh; Instructor, Gateway to College Academic Success Coach |
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Office: 24-308
Phone: (509) 533-4187
Email: Josh.Westermann@spokanefalls.edu
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My name is Josh Westermann and I am proud to say that I am an SFCC graduate! The bottom line for me is that I just love to teach!
I've taught 2nd-6th grade in the public schools... now I've been at SFCC teaching English, college success, and reading classes
for nearly 6 years. I'm a certified academic advisor and can help you find the needed resources to assist you in reaching your goals.
I thoroughly enjoy the interaction and dialogue that teaching brings. I spend most of my teaching time helping students learn how to
be successful in their first year of college. I work with helping students plan, study, and set an individual course for accomplishment.
When I'm not teaching, you'll find me doing something outside. My family and I spend a lot of time hiking, kayaking, skiing, biking, and
anything else that gets us exercising and breathing the fresh air. I also love the game of baseball.
Stop by and say hi! My door is always open, unless it's closed... in that case, please leave a note and I will get back to you!
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Williamson, Barbara; Instructor |
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Office: 24-339
Phone: (509) 533-4507
Email: Barbara.Williamson@spokanefalls.edu
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I am a proud community college graduate, having received my A.A. degree from Western Nevada Community College.
After that, I earned a B.A. and an M.A. in English at the University of Nevada (go Wolf Pack!). After receiving
my degrees, I taught at UNR as well as at surrounding community colleges. Wanting still more education (and
yes, folks have called me crazy), I went to the University of Nebraska (go Huskers!) where I earned a Ph.D. in
English with emphasis in Popular Culture, specifically film (I'm a fool for really bad Hollywood action movies),
women's literature, and 20th century American and Canadian literatures. After teaching at UNL, I knew I wanted
to return to community college and to the west, and thus here I am. I believe teaching at a community college
is an act of revolution, that my students are incredibly brave and intelligent and will someday take over the
world, and that literature, which teaches us how to be human, is a force for good in an often troubled world.
In my spare time, I love to read, watch movies, cheer on my favorite college football teams, play board games
with friends, and go out to eat. I teach mostly American literature, although I also teach composition, women's
literature, and introduction to literature. I love what I do, and I expect my students to be as passionate
about their education as I am. Track me down and let's talk about your favorite book, your favorite film, and
how you are changing your world.
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Young, Tana; Instructor |
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Office: 5-159
Phone: (509) 533-3898
Email: Tana.Young@spokanefalls.edu
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I was born in Spokane, but I grew up everywhere: Japan, New York, Texas, Alaska, Virginia, Florida, and on it goes. We moved
from the Eastern seaboard, to the Southwest, to the Pacific Northwest, and up to the far north, all between my eighth and ninth year.
My connection to place was tenuous, to say the least. As you can also imagine, my education was a bit iffy. I was a day dreamer
who managed to drift under the radar most of the time. Although I began at SFCC when I was 27, it was rough going because, by
then, I had two young children and I was still nomadic. Yet, the desire to pursue my education was growing. I managed to get my
AAS before we moved again. Wherever we'd go, I'd pick up a class or two. However, in 1990 my life turned a corner. I returned
to Spokane with my three daughters to take care of my grandmother, who suffered from Alzheimer's. I cared for her for seven
years, until her death in 1997. Those were some of the most difficult years of my life, but they were also the most productive.
Reading and writing had always been a passion, but soon became my solace and sanity. After I recovered from that remarkable
experience, I took up my education in earnest. Going back to school was a celebration of life. I was starved for words and ideas.
Sitting in a poetry class one day, I listened to exquisite words spoken aloud into the quiet of that room and realized that they
signified more than peace.
I hold an AAS in Advertising Art from SFCC; a BA in English: Writing and Literature, Art History minor, from Whitworth
University; an MFA in Creative Writing: Poetry emphasis, Creative Nonfiction minor, from EWU.
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