Desi Poteet, English Lecturer

Contact Information

Department of Language Arts
Na‘auao 124
Windward Community College
45-720 Kea‘ahala Rd.
Kaneohe, HI 96744

Cell Phone: (808) 429-4020

Email: poteetd@hawaii.edu

Office Hours - Fall, 2009

Monday: 11:25 to 12:25pm
Wednesday: 11:25 to 12:25pm
Friday: 11:25 to 12:25pm
and by appointment

Class Schedule - Fall, 2009

• ENG 100 - Expository Writing (3)
                  MWF, 10:30am to 11:20am, PALANA 124, CRN 62047 - view syllabus
• ENG 100 - Expository Writing (3)
                  MWF, 12:30pm to 1:20pm, PALANA 124, CRN 62152 - view syllabus
• ENG 22 - Intro to Expository Writing (3)
                  MWF, 9:30am to 10:20am, MLEO 102, CRN 62369 - view syllabus

Courses Taught

• ENG 22 - Introduction to Expository Writing
• ENG 100 - Expository Writing

Education

• University of Hawai‘i, Mānoa, Master of Arts – English (creative writing), The Grace of Dark Times – a collection of fiction (thesis)
• University of Hawai‘i, Mānoa, Bachelor of Arts with Distinction, English
• Windward Community College, Associate of Arts with Honors
• Punahou High School

Publication

• “Reunion” (2007) - read an excerpt (PDF)
• “Ellie’s Blanket” (2008) - read an excerpt (PDF)

Writing Recognition (a partial list)

• Myrle Clark Award with Distinction
• Moondance International Film Festival, finalist (feature screenplay)
• American Zoetrope Screenwriting Competition, semi-finalist (feature screenplay)
• Moondance International Film Festival, semi-finalist (fiction)
• The Writer’s Network, quarter-finalist (feature screenplay and fiction)

Recent Projects

Published in 2008, Hawai`i Review: “A Special Tribute to Ian MacMillian,” honors Ian MacMillan on his retirement after 40-plus years of teaching writing at the University of Hawai‘i, Mānoa. This double issue includes award-winning contributors connected to Ian in various ways - colleagues, friends, and students - all eager to be a part of honoring Ian, a man who teaches not only how to write a good story, but also how to live a good life, by his own example.

Affiliations (partial list)

• Friends of WCC
• The Phi Beta Kappa Society, Alpha of Hawai‘i Chapter
• Hawai‘i Filmmakers
• American Screenwriters Association
• The Caledonian Society of Hawai‘i
• NCTE - National Council of Teachers of English
• Hawai‘i Review, staff, April to December, 2007; editor ("A Special Tribute to Ian MacMillian"), January to December, 2008

Scholarly Interests

I find my scholarly interests continue to expand, but primarily I focus on: Film Studies, Life Writing, and Writing Pedagogy.

Writing Interests

Writing screenplays is my first love, but over the years I’ve enjoyed experimenting with other genres, including fiction and creative non-fiction.

Favorite Authors (the very short list)

I love reading stories that surprise me, inhabit my imagination, and demonstrate dexterity in wordsmithing.  The following authors have made a lasting impression in my life: Mitch Albom, John Irving, Ian MacMillan, Michael Ondaatje, Dr. Seuss, Neil Simon, Ann Tyler, Chris Van Allsburg, and Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

Favorite Films (a partial list from A-Z)