My Story
I subscribe to the theory that there’s no such thing as wasted time for a fiction writer. Writers are scavengers. I try to practice curiosity about everything. My research interests range widely. As an academic, my interests range from perspectival fractures in postmodern American fiction, to feminist and queer critique of fairy tales, to creative writing pedagogy, to the neuroscience of empathy (since empathy is crucial for fiction writers). As an artist, my research interests go where the work takes me. Right now I’m researching the TV show “Say Yes to the Dress,” Milwaukee politics in the 1840s, road kill in Hawaii, childhood cancer, and a million other things.
Rachel Haley HimmelheberWarren Wilson has serious, passionate writing students. It's rare to find students so invested in creative writing at the undergraduate level, and I love working with them. I'm given a lot of freedom in my teaching here, so I’m able to take classes in directions I couldn’t elsewhere.
Education
- B.A. in English, Warren Wilson College
- M.F.A. in Fiction, New Mexico State University
- Ph.D. in English/Creative Writing, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee
Research Interests
- Contemporary American fiction
- Creative writing pedagogy
- Empathy
Courses Taught
- WRI 3810: Research in Creative Writing
- WRI 3080: Reading Contemporary Writers: Fairy Tale Retellings
- WRI 3110: Advanced Fiction Workshop
Crews and Other Activities
- Co-founder and Treasurer, Creative Writing Studies Organization
Contact
Dr. Haley Himmelheber
rhimmelheber@warren-wilson.edu
(828) 771-2001
Jensen 201
WWC CPO 6274
PO Box 9000
Asheville, NC 28815-9000