Dr. Patti J. Kurtz

Associate Professor of English; Director, MSU Writing Center

Office: Model Hall 314
Email: patti.kurtz@ndus.edu
Phone: 701-858-3073
- Personal Website

» MSU Writing Center Web Site

Credentials:
BA, English: Waynesburg University, Waynesburg, PA
MA, English: Slippery Rock University, Slippery Rock, PA
DA, English: Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID
MFA Writing Popular Fiction: Seton Hill University, Greensburg, PA

Courses Taught:

ASC 087 College Writing Prep

ASC 088 Composition Lab

English 110 & 120 (Composition 1 and 2)

English 191 English Community Seminar

English 211 Introduction to Creative Writing
English 244 Writing in Multiple Genres

English 238 Childrens Literature

English 321 Topics in Creative Writing: Fantasy

English 321 Genre Fiction

English 391 Junior Research Lab

English 410 Fiction Workshop
English 338 Topics in Adolescent Literature
English 209: Introduction to Linguistics

English 322 American Dialects in Film and Media
English 317: Teaching Writing
English 318 and 318 L: Writing Tutor Training
English 343: Graphic Novels
English 491: Senior Seminar

More about Dr. Kurtz:
I see myself as a writer first and a teacher of writing second. I've been writing for over 20 years, mainly fiction for teens, poems, fantasy stories and novels, and mystery novels. Teaching writing is the best of both worlds for me, because I can teach students to love to write as much as I do. I also love words and language and bring this fascination with English to my courses in dialects and linguistics. I believe that English departments should foster both reading and writing skills. Writers write. Writers also read. Literature and writing are not exclusive of each other, but can and should co-exist in this department and in the world.

Drawing on over seven years of working as a tutor in various Writing Centers, I also direct the MSU Writing Center, located on the lower level of Gordon Olson Library. The Writing Center employs student tutors to help writers one on one with their paper assignments and is free for all MSU students. Being a tutor also helps students become better critical readers, thinkers, and writers. I have plans to add studio sessions to the Writing Center's offerings, as a means of reaching students while they are in the midst of the writing process working on a project. Stay tuned!

I grew up in Pittsburgh, PA (Go Penguins!), and it will always be my home town, no matter where I'm living (sorry, North Dakota!). I also belong to the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). In 2006, I won the Emily Rhoades Johnson Award for the most promising manuscript at the UND/SCBWI Dakotas conference in Grand Forks. I was also the SCBWI Dakotas chapter web master for several years.

My current projects include a high fantasy novel, a detective novel, a young adult contemporary novel about wolf reintroduction, and a young adult sports novel. I regularly attend The Pikes Peak Writers Conference in Colorado Springs, CO, where I enjoy networking with other authors, agents, and editors. I've read my work at the NDUS Humanities summit and presented at the Midwest MLA conference several times.

In 2016, I earned my MFA in Popular Fiction at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA, and I'm proud of having done that while working full time and going to school full time. My thesis novel is a young adult sports novel titled Spinout which I have recentlty revised. I am actively seeking a literary agent or editor to publish my work.

I live in Minot with my husband, a Lab named Goldberry and a blind beagle named Elanor, both named after Lord of the Rings characters. I'm a huge hockey fan (go Penguins!) and Indy Car racing fan (Yay, Scott Dixon).

Curious to know more? Check out my Prairie Profile from the Minot Daily News.

To learn more about me and my writing follow me on Twitter/X @Patti J Kurtz or visit my author web page.


Dr. Kurtz's hood and MFA degree