For Jody Keisner, all roads led back to writing. After navigating several career transitions, gap years, and the challenges of being a first-generation college graduate, Jody has entered a new season of life, a season where her passion for writing and teaching converged, leading her to a full professorship at UNO.
From a young age, Keisner was drawn to writing. After earning her BA in English from Wayne State College, she continued to write, even if it wasn’t paying the bills. “My first several jobs after college were in various roles within Omaha’s restaurant industry,” she recalls, detailing stints in property management and as a rehabilitation specialist. “During these years, I kept writing freelance, earning only about $50 per article.”
It wasn’t until she continued her education at UNO, earning a graduate degree in English, a teaching assistantship, and eventually her MFA from Western Michigan University, that the integration of teaching and writing came to fruition. She spent several years as an instructor in UNO’s first-year writing program, landed a position as an Assistant Professor in English with a Specialization in Creative Nonfiction, and is now a full-time professor.
Her devotion to her students and craft is evident not only in how she conducts her coursework but also in why she earned this promotion. “I invest in a class the second I start designing the syllabus for it, choosing texts and readings, and dreaming up lesson plans.” For her, curating courses is both an intellectual and almost spiritual process, having now designed several, including Form & Style in Creative Nonfiction, Creative Nonfiction in Digital Environments, Gender Identity in Personal Writing, and more.
When asked what this milestone meant, she added, “I haven’t had time to officially celebrate it yet. In academia, there are always new opportunities and challenges presenting themselves. I think we must be a people who somewhat thrive on never being ‘finished.’”
