Within her first year at Nicholls, Dr. Katherine Conner, assistant professor of literature, assisted in incorporating customary designed English courses to the growing department.

This is the first year Nicholls has offered English courses with specific concentrations. Conner also redesigned English composition 102 to focus on horror films.  She also teaches ENGL 312, creative writing seminar, and ENGL 463, studies of the novel.  

Next semester, Conner said she is also teaching ENGL 265, introduction to creative writing.  The course encompasses poetry, short stories, non-fiction and scenes from a play.

“On March 30th the English department will be hosting a fall semester showcase to show new courses for the fall semester,” Conner said. “It will introduce students to different genres so students can figure out which genre is best for them.”  

Conner came to teach at Nicholls after receiving her doctorate in creative writing from Florida State University.  She always loved New Orleans and she wanted to work closer to her hometown of Jackson, Mississippi.    

“As soon as I discovered Nicholls, I began to research the school, and I saw how open the English department is open to special topic courses,” Conner said.  “I also love the fact that Nicholls has a creative writing concentration.”

Conner goes on to say that she adores teaching and could not imagine doing anything else.  

“I did not want to be a teacher until I was a grad student, and I worked as a teacher assistant,” Conner said. “As soon as I started teaching, I just fell in love with it.”

Conner said she enjoys teaching because of those moments when students take the knowledge she teaches out of the classroom.

“There are these moments that happen in the classroom where you can tell something has clicked, and you can tell you have gotten through to the students,” Conner said.

In between classes, Conner can be found in her office grading papers, preparing for lectures or helping students with their papers.   She is also working on a book of short stories and dreams to one day have it published to become a successful writer.  

In addition to teaching, Conner is an adviser to the English Society.  On March 16, there was a creative writing reading where students were invited to share their original works.  

“A lot of creative writing programs put that together, and I wanted to start that here,” Conner said.