Andy Feathers Email & Phone Number

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Polish glassware, prep bar ingredients, batch cocktails, stock ice, water, beer, spirits, and wine as needed for bartenders. Set up and tear down of event seating/furniture. Keep the bar, floors, and restrooms clean and stocked. Entertain customers, prep and cook light fare for customer orders. Maintain the Kingfly vibe.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

As a “Learning Commons Facilitator and Writing Center Tutor,” I wait in a wing of the campus library and help anyone who comes along that needs helping. Writing and creative projects in all subjects make the bulk of the work, but this extends to proofreading, ESL/ EAL teaching and vocabulary building, assistance with reading comprehension, Blackboard assignments and navigation, tech literacy, campus navigation, life motivation, hosting workshops, and assisting colleagues with other literary events. I also tutor online via Zoom any time a student needs off campus guidance.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Teaching a 2x2 course load of Bridging (English) 101: Writing and Analysis to freshmen and sophomore students. Students produce scaffolded writing assignments resulting in a final portfolio of 16-25 pages of polished writing. Assignments all incorporate a reflective writing component and include a Literacy Narrative, Rhetorical Analysis, Annotated Bibliography relating to one of the other projects, and an Evaluation Argument. All course material is open access. Texts and media range across genres from essays on style to youtube videos. The ultimate goal of the course is to develop students' critical and creative eyes, voices, and confidence with a variety of writing forms.

I have been writing poetry since 2010. I was ecstatic when I received my first acceptance to The Poetry Explosion (PEN) Newsletter in Pittsburgh, PA. Since then, I've submitted work under the pseudonym Andy Feathers, & earned acceptance & honorable mentions with a running list of national & international publications & contests. In the profession of rejection that is poetry, I am aware of the necessity for writing opportunities that provide more consistency & financial promise. In 2013, I pursued a freelance opportunity at a budding journal called Rustbelt Almanac. The freedom of a more narrative, long-form writing style was a blessing. It allowed me to learn some of journalism's limitations & possibilities, while developing my existing tools to excel. I became the primary staff-writer, & travelled with the founders for interviews & promotional readings. As my exposure and experience increased, so did my chances to succeed. From 2014-15, I co-directed the art-space, Runaway Studios, & was able to produce one of my ten-minute plays & stage-read another. More of my poems were featured in publications; I was nominated for a Pushcart Prize by Carbon Culture Review; & honed my short-form journalism style when LOCALpittsburgh requested that I contribute as a writer on a few issues as a freelancer. I was invited to read at the After Happy Hour Review release party; & my chapbook manuscript, Laying Out Tomorrow's Outfit, was published by Finishing Line Press in 2016. To celebrate, DoubleMirror featured me as a reader at “Black Mirror," a Redfishbowl art event at Pittsburgh's Black Forge Coffee House. My pursuit continues with the pending release of a poetry/photo zine collaboration titled "Open Fields"; a reading to celebrate the release of "Tiny Alms" by Matt Wallenstein, & my recent acceptance into West Virginia University to pursue an MFA in Creative Writing with a Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA) accompaniment.

Denmark

Writing original content as assigned for DIVEIN's outdoor website. Subjects coincide with my experiences and range from stand-up paddle boarding how-to's and travel guides to reviewing outdoor apparel.

Morgantown, West Virginia, United States

Teaching an online asynchronous course in Business and Professional Writing to students who have met prerequisite English requirements. Course focus is on developing syntactical brevity and overall efficiency in student's writing while building their confidence with professional writing forms like resumes, letters, memos, emails, in-office templates, online profiles, analytical reports, report presentations, texts, tweets, elevator pitches, etc. Collaboration and communication are emphasized via discussion boards and peer reviews. Readings and media are all open-access and range from pdf textbooks to TedTalks.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Learned and applied skills as a residential electrical installer under Master Electrician,Matt Kaltz. Completed service changes, installed major appliances, light fixtures, and other electrical devices in new builds and old-work applications. Trained in installation of Tesla residential solar power panels. Conducted smaller commercial jobs like salon lighting projects, mechanics garages, preparing long conduit runs for new service installations, and work on cherry-pickers for commercial housing units and the Crafton, PA volunteer fire department.

Morgantown, West Virginia, United States

While earning my MFA in Poetry, I taught ENGL 101 and 102 Rhetoric and Composition courses, as well as an Introduction to Poetry course in 2x2 and 2x3 loads. I received the requisite Title IX training, in addition to online-instructor training. With a focus on understanding a variety of writing forms while prioritizing personal voice, my curriculum for Rhetoric and Comp. included a consistent series of small writing assignments to supplement and build towards four larger works. In class activities included freewriting; group collaborations often evolving from an initial “think-pair-share;” videos and incorporation of other multi-modal resources; a plethora of writing examples and supplemental readings; and lectures/mini-lessons with a Google Slide/PowerPoint visual aid. I gained significant experience with online platforms like eCampus and Google Classroom, and tailored my final semester of teaching to an entirely online curriculum amid the COVID-19 pandemic using Google Classroom and Zoom.Curriculum and Coursework for Introduction to Poetry Workshop included selected readings and teachings from online platforms like PoetryFoundation.Org, Poets.Org, etc. as well as The Autumn House Anthology of Contemporary American Poetry (2nd Ed.), and Open Roads: Exercises in Writing Poetry (Thiel). In addition to group reading and guided analysis, students completed multiple in-class and at home poetry exercises that introduced them to a variety of traditional, experimental, and new poetry forms. We created a class playlist of music that exemplified a variety of significant poetic concepts—made available to all students via Spotify, and I presented multiple mini-lessons each week on specific areas of focus, and every two weeks were used to share and workshop students’ original works.

Greater Pittsburgh Area

Amidst my work other work in 2015, I took an online position as an editor and writing tutor with the education company Brainfuse INC. At Brainfuse I work to provide thorough revisions to students and clients seeking tutoring and editing assistance in writing. Students vary in age and skill level, ranging from ESL elementary school students, to Graduate Level and Ph.D students. As a result of my consistency and exceptional performance reviews, I was quickly awarded with a wage increase, and receive multiple bonuses each year.

Greater Pittsburgh Area

My freelance journalism career continued despite Rustbelt Almanac suspending their production in 2014. I was connected through a mutual colleague to Jenifer Schweitzer, the founder of one girl's graphics, llc. (ogg), who was the acting creative director on issues two through five of a magazine called LOCALpittsburgh (Lp). Ogg was seeking a professional proofreader, and my background, enthusiasm, and the promise of additional co-mentorship from Jenifer and our mutual colleague landed me the positions. I quickly received the assignments of proofreading multiple, entire editorial and layouts and article content for Lp, and content and design layouts for other ogg clients. Combined with my increased proofing experience, and the length of my involvement over three years at ogg, my duties have evolved beyond the page, and I have logged time on projects ranging from garden work and the physical implementation of ogg's interior designs, to filing and organizing company expense reports. Because I have been valued and allowed to grow, I have discovered that I can accomplish things well beyond expectation, and now have skills to take with me as I design and account for the responsibilities in my own life.

Greater Pittsburgh Area

Mere moments after my interview and employment agreements with ogg, my car broke down, and I was offered help by a young artist named Sadie Shoaf. We shared interests, and weeks later developed a joint partnership in art and life to begin a whirlwind of a 2014-2015. Out of necessity to pay rent, we co-founded a donation-supported art space called Runaway Studios on the main floor of our apartment building. Aside from endless maintenance and physical artistic creation, it was the organization and production of events at Runaway that took my creative writing abilities to new heights. In collaboration with Sadie and others on our team, I helped manage social media marketing and SEO, wrote press releases and blurbs promoting events ranging from poetry readings, plays, and visual art gallery shows to charity-run cooking demonstrations/flea markets and festival-style concerts. I emceed our monthly “Verse Sessions,” which were open-mic/staged readings and performances, performed musical numbers, and broadened my poetry and script-writing. I also acted as chief literary editor for multiple issues of the Runaway Hotel art-book, and established my footing as a visual artist through original, one-sentence poetry posters which were featured in multiple art shows at venues around Pittsburgh, PA, including Hogwash (hosted by Bar Marco), Double Mirror's South Side Art Crawl (Delanie's Coffee Shop and other venues on East Carson Street), and multiple Runaway Studios Verse Sessions.

Greater Pittsburgh Area

When asked by my old high school baseball coach if I wanted to come back and be the assistant coach for the freshman baseball team, it was a no-brainer. For three seasons, from 2013-2015, being able to pass down my baseball knowledge to upcoming athletes for the betterment of my Alma-mater was one of the most enjoyable, fulfilling ventures I've taken on. I learned the other side of athletics, how to improve and adapt my forms of instruction, got to work individually and in groups with energized, optimistic youths, became certified in CPR, and took part in guiding our teams to successful playoff runs. This work in high school sports opened another artistic door for me at the time in 2013, when the theatre department learned of my background, and offered me the position of Co-director for the high school's fall play. Of course, the experience was much different than coaching, but it was incredible to play such a pivotal role in developing students' theatrical and improvisational abilities to produce a show that moved their audience and made their families proud. It took time for me to realize that educating was something I could devote many years to, but after these experiences, acting as a GED Teaching Assistant while in college, and the last two years I have spent with Brainfuse Inc. as a daily, online writing tutor for students ranging from elementary ESL to the doctorate level, I have now been called to pursue a Master's Degree in Creative Writing with a Graduate Teaching Assistantship at West Virginia University.

Master'S Degree, Creative Writing, Graduate

While earning my MFA in Poetry, I taught ENGL 101 and 102 Rhetoric and Composition courses, as well as an Introduction to Poetry course.

Bachelor Of Arts - Ba, Integrative Arts