Constance G. Wagner, M.A.
Writing Program Director
Lecturer of English
About Professor Wagner
I aim to get my students to think about the nature of language and its mutable quality so that they can produce more sophisticated papers marked with style, elegance, and deeper thought. My hope is that they will find their way to their own voice but also sharpen their skills in mechanics and research along the way as well. With these goals in mind, I always attempt to keep the classroom environment open, welcoming, and yet professional – a workshop kind of atmosphere that allows the students to relax but also to know that they are here to take themselves seriously as writers and thinkers.
I stress the importance of the humanities to a complete education – and a complete life. In the classroom, I have always aimed to draw on my background as a professional writer, a career which has seen me wear many writing hats, that of journalist, theater critic, editor, copywriter, researcher, poet, public speaker, and even Tolkien scholar. My different writing venues have honed my skills in tight writing, organization, idea development, and even in effective self-editing. All these skills and more I weave into my classroom instruction.
I stress the importance of the humanities to a complete education – and a complete life. In the classroom, I have always aimed to draw on my background as a professional writer, a career which has seen me wear many writing hats, that of journalist, theater critic, editor, copywriter, researcher, poet, public speaker, and even Tolkien scholar. My different writing venues have honed my skills in tight writing, organization, idea development, and even in effective self-editing. All these skills and more I weave into my classroom instruction.
Career & Accomplishments
Degrees
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•The New School for Social Research, M.A.
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•Jersey City State College, B.A.
Publications & Presentations
Extensive published work: poetry; short stories; feature articles; theatre reviews; academic articles on all things Tolkien.
Regular presenter on works of J.R.R. Tolkien at both fan conventions and academic conferences such as DragonCon, WorldCon, and Mythcon. I am currently at work on a book-length examination of the question of sacrificial heroism in Tolkien’s THE LORD OF THE RINGS