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.

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.

1
2