John Dufresne

Professor Dufresne is the author of six novels, including Louisiana Power & Light and Love Warps the Mind a Little, which were both New York Times Notable Books of the Year. A recipient of a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, he also written two short story collections, three chapbooks, a full-length play, and award-winning screenplays. Dufresne is also the author of four books on writing and creativity, including The Lie That Tells a Truth: a Guide to Writing Fiction; Is Life Like This?: a Guide to Writing Your First Novel in Six Months; as well as Flash, a guide to writing flash fiction. His latest, Storyville: An Illustrated Guide to Writing Fiction, was published in 2020 by W.W. Norton & Company.

Teaching Philosophy

"Make the classroom a safe place for the creation of stories. Encourage honest, generous, and specific feedback. Accepting that feedback with grace and intelligence. Write, write, write until your fingers break. Read, read, read and then reread."