Degrees: M.F.A., Warren Wilson College; M.A., University of Colorado; B.S., University of Cincinnati
Biography: Mr. Hillard is an associate professor of creative writing and poetry in the Department of English and Modern Languages. He teaches courses in modern and contemporary literature, communication, advanced composition, and creative writing.
Before coming to the Mount in 1987, he received his M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Warren Wilson College, an M.A. in English from the University of Colorado, and a B.S. in Education from the University of Cincinnati.
Among Professor Hillard’s published works are: "River Dwellers: Poems on the Settling of the Ohio River" and "Pieces of Fernald: Poems and Images of a Place."
Read what Jeffrey Hillard has to say:
I love to write stories, poems, essays, and journalism, and I should toss into that mix that I love teaching literature and communication studies – over 20 years’ worth at the Mount. I’ve written books and edited magazines, and I’ve often helped students find jobs after college. For the last seven years, I’ve done something I never expected to do: volunteer teach and mentor in prisons and jails. It’s been an interesting life.
Five books that have touched my life
- Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
- Letters to a Young Poet by Rainier Maria Rilke
- Tales of Chekhov (13-volumes) by Anton Chekhov
- The Complete Stories: Flannery O'Connor
- Going to the Mountain: Stories by Dallas Wiebe
(Two others that I would cram into the suitcase, stomp the latches shut, and smuggle in are The Odyssey (anything I could cram in by Homer) and that modern classic, Martha Stewart's Living Cookbook.)