Writing Instructors at University College

All of us are experienced in teaching writing, and you can see that we're interested in a lot of academic areas.

Jerry Plotnick, Director. Jerry has over twenty years of experience teaching writing at U of T, including a stint teaching Effective Writing at U of T's Mississauga campus. He has an undergraduate degree in Mathematics and an M.Sc. in Computer Science. His graduate studies in English have focused on Shakespeare. He is also interested in political theory, film, and philosophy. Jerry's current research investigates the logical and epistemological underpinnings of evidence-based medicine.

Heather Fitzgerald worked as a lexicographer in the Canadian Dictionary Department at Oxford University Press before starting her new career as a writing instructor, Heather. In this position, she edited many dictionaries and reference books, including the award-winning Canadian Oxford Dictionary. She holds degrees in English from the University of Victoria and the University of Calgary. She also has experience as an ESL instructor, a technical writer, a marketing copywriter and a copyeditor, in all of which positions she has worked with writers from a wide variety of backgrounds in a wide variety of disciplines. She served as acting director of the UC Writing Centre in 2010-11. This is her fifth year with University College's Writing Centre.

Joanna Polley earned her PhD in Philosophy at the University of Toronto and has taught in the departments of Philosophy and Literary Studies. Fascinated by language in all of its aspects, she has been an ESL instructor, a translator, an editor and a freelance writer. She also spent a term running the Department of Philosophy's essay clinic and is now enjoying the wider range of subjects discussed in this her third year at the UC Writing Centre.

Vikki Visvis received her Ph.D. in English from the University of Toronto in 2004. This is Vikki's eighth year at the UC Writing Centre. She is also currently a lecturer at U of T for the Department of English, where she teaches Canadian literature. In 2004-5, Vikki taught both Critical Writing about Narrative and Effective Writing at U of T, intensive academic writing courses for undergraduates. She also has experience as an ESL tutor, and has worked at other writing centres on campus. She has published on Canadian and American literature.

Becky Vogan works as a freelance editor for book publishers in Toronto and teaches editing courses at Ryerson University and U of T. Although her degrees are in English literature, she has helped writers in most subject areas. Becky is enjoying her ninth year as a writing instructor, and wishes that Western and Queen's had had writing centres when she was a student.