writing instruction, District Writers’ Academy, Suzanne Zweizig, writing tutors, writing teacher, writing workshops, writing camps, writing

Suzanne Zweizig

Founder and Director

Suzanne Zweizig holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she studied composition pedagogy and literature and was named a Ford Foundation Writing Fellow for helping to pioneer a writing-across-the-curriculum course for incoming freshman. She also received an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Florida where she was awarded the Marjorie Kenan Rawlings Fellowship and won a prestigious university-wide teaching award for her poetry-writing course.

As a graduate student and professor, Suzanne had over 10-years’ experience teaching literature and writing (Creative Writing, Composition, Scientific Writing, Business Writing) at the university level before moving to Washington, D.C. in 2005. Since then, she has tutored writing at private and public schools in the Washington D.C. area, working especially with the Maret School where she developed summer writing workshops and writing clinics for upper school students. Suzanne has also worked as a professional writer in the business, nonprofit and government sectors, including as the Communications Manager at the Embassy of Switzerland, and as the Director of Scientific Publications at Conservation International.

An award-winning writer and life-long student of writing herself, Suzanne draws extensively on her own experience to relate to her students, passing on the tools, lessons, strategies and writing that have inspired her. Her poetry and prose have been published nationally and internationally, winning recognition and support from places such as The MacDowell Colony, the Virginia Center for Creative Arts, The Nation/Discovery Prize and the Washington D.C. Commission of Arts and Humanities.

lauraS

Laura Scalzo

Instructor: Sr. Creative Writers Camp Level II-Fiction (Spring 2024)  

Laura Scalzo is the author of two novels, The Speed of Light in Air, Water, and Glass, praised as “lyrical and insightful,” and American Arcadia, “a gorgeous riff of a New York City novel.” Her shorter work has appeared in various literary magazines including Had, Ellipsis Zine, Reflex Fiction, and the Grace & Gravity Series. She was a 2023 Chautauqua Writer-in-Residence and is a 2024 recipient of a DC Arts Grant. She is a graduate of Syracuse University after which she held a variety of jobs including waitress, office temp, copywriter, Eurodollar broker on the Japanese Desk, and energy commodities derivatives broker. She’s lived in Washington, DC for 20 years where she and her husband raised their two children. Find out more about her Fiction Writing Camp here.

Betty

Former Learning Specialist, Maret School, Washington, D.C.

Suzanne is excellent at both the craft of writing and teaching it to young adults. We collaborated over five years, during which time she worked one-on-one with high-school students at my school in addition to offering summer writing workshops. Her methodology for teaching writing was based on her own training as a writer. Most importantly, she motivated students to become better writers through a combination of understanding, empathy, skill, and patience. Her rapport with students and teachers alike was always positive because she communicated openly, tactfully, and positively. Her passion for writing made her an excellent teacher and mentor.

Dwight

Parent, Montgomery County Public Schools 

Ms. Zweizig is great!  Without question, she has been the singularly most impactful person in our son's transition from being a C student in 8th grade English to finishing 9th grade HONORS English with a cumulative A for the year. Of course, her understanding of English course content is incredibly broad and deep. In addition, she has been able to relate to our son in a way that has motivated him to work to his potential and achieve real understanding. Then, after she helped our son to transition to more self-sufficiency in English (i.e., he did not need as much assistance), she again proved quite able to help our son earn an A in History. I highly recommend her for ALL students -- independent of their starting points.