Bio
Emily Riley is a fiction writer and artist who grew up in Arkansas. In college, she studied literature, French, art, and anthropology, a menagerie that led her to several of her best adventures like teaching English in Japan, graduate school, event coordinating at Dog-Eared Books, and co-founding The Writers Lab, a program where creative writers communed to perform targeted craft experiments.
These experiences clarified her values as an instructor, and now her classes emphasize experimentation, growth, and community. She honors these values through an ungrading philosophy and a collaborative learning environment.
A person of many hobbies, you can find her reading, baking, or gaming in her free time.
Courses
- ENGL 1500 – Critical Thinking & Communication
- ENGL 2500 & 2500H – Written, Oral, Visual, & Electronic Composition
- ENGL 3040 – Creative Writing: Fiction
- ENGL 4040 – Creative Writing Workshop: Fiction
- HON 3210 – The Game Shapes You: Objects & Objectives in Video Games
Research Areas of Interest
Sci-fi, fantasy, world building, mythology and retellings, culture, family stories, creative process, the interface between written word and visual art, and other narrative media like film, TV, and video games.
Current Research Projects
Emily is currently revising her fantasy novel, which reimagines the origins of a chthonic goddess, the curse that shaped her, and the women who helped free her in the Greek Bronze Age.
She’s also developing a lunar punk short story cycle following a glowing river, long-lost shapeshifting siblings, a robot in love with a plant, and other members of an unlikely family through space and time.