Natashia Deón

Instructor Biography:

M.F.A., two-time N.A.A.C.P. Image Award Nominee for Outstanding Literature, practicing criminal attorney and author of the critically acclaimed novels, The Perishing and G.R.A.C.E., which was named a Best Book by the New York Times and awarded Best Debut Novel by the American Library Association's Black Caucus. A P.E.N. America Fellow, Ms. Deón has also been awarded fellowships and residencies at Yale, Prague's Creative Writing Program, Dickinson House in Belgium and the Virginia Center for Creative Arts. Her personal essays have been featured in The New York Times, Harper’s, The Los Angeles Times, Harper’s Bazaar, American Short Fiction, Buzzfeed and other places.

Instructor Statement: 

Three people standing in the same room witnessing the same event will view the event differently. Tell us why you’re in that room. Show us with your unique voice and experience, what you see. My teaching style is to engage students by bringing out their individuality. In the classroom, my style is to be actively present and available and through student led discussions based on selected topics, including craft and community and also by having students work with their classmates through critical feedback and general discussion questions.

My expectations of students are that students meet deadlines, provide constructive feedback to fellow classmates and that students encourage one another. As writers, we have to celebrate every victory. They are usually few and far between.