Michele Howerton–Vargas’ Biography
I graduated from Johnston City High School where I had found a passion for writing. I wrote for my high school newspaper for three years and edited it for two years. I also wrote for a local weekly newspaper while still in high school. I attended Southern Illinois University where I focused on my creative writing. I earned my bachelor’s degree in English and completed the Teacher Education Program. Eager to leave home, I applied to graduate programs on the East coast. When I asked my professor, Rodney Jones, to write me a letter of recommendation to those schools, he asked me to apply to the graduate program at SIU. I turned down an offer from the University of Maryland to study with poets Rodney Jones, Lucia Maria Perillo and Juan Herrera. I completed my master’s degree in creative writing in 1993 having published some of my best poems in journals.
I first taught at John A. Logan from 1995 to 1997. I left to return to school to pursue my Ph.D. in Journalism and Mass Communication. After completing my coursework, I returned to John A. Logan in 2004 as a member of the Term Faculty in English. I&squo;ve taught a variety of English and journalism courses while at John A. Logan. I continue to write poetry and fiction on those rare occasions when I find both inspiration and time. In addition to teaching at John A. Logan, I also tutor in an Online writing Lab for a private company. Through that experience, I have learned a great deal about the pedagogy and the methods of online instruction and tutoring. This has led to the opportunity to teach online courses at John A. Logan College. Amid all those demands, I am also raising two children: Joey and Rachael.
