Aaron G.
Private tutor in Portland, OR
Education
Bennington College, Bennington, VT Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, January 2011, focus in Nonfiction University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy, May 1999, Minor in Ecology/Evolutionary Biology
Experience
I currently tutor at Portland State University's Writing Center, working face-to-face with students and the public on various writing projects, including research papers, reflection papers, scholarship applications, grant letters, fiction and personal essays. I'm also a freelance journalist and essayist, and have written for The New York Times, Harper's, Saveur, Slate and Paris Review, and a published a collection of essays about jazz, entitled "This Is: Essays on Jazz." As a tutor, I love encouraging students to engage their intellect through writing and reading, and equip themselves with sharp minds and communication skills. Helping young people discover the power and pleasures of expression and the written word is extremely rewarding, especially when working with bilingual students and those for whom English is a second language. Even when writing and reading can be frustratingly difficult, it's refreshing to work with students who remain open to the challenge and open to new styles, new ideas, new techniques, and to witness their hard work on their way through school on to college.
Subject Expertise
5th Grade Reading9th Grade Reading9th Grade Reading8th Grade Writing7th Grade Reading8th Grade Reading6th Grade Writing6th Grade Reading5th Grade Writing4th Grade Writing9th Grade Writing5th Grade Reading10th Grade Writing11th Grade Writing12th Grade Writing12th Grade Writing3rd Grade Writing3rd Grade Reading4th Grade ReadingJournalismWriting8th Grade Reading7th Grade WritingReadingReadingPSAT Critical ReadingPSAT Writing SkillsLiteratureVocabularyGrammar and MechanicsDigital MediaFiction WritingExpository WritingEssay EditingCollege EssaysAmerican LiteratureAP English Literature and Composition
Availability
Weekdays after 6PM, Wednesday at any time
Can Meet
Up to 15 minutes away for no additional charge
Hobbies
Writing and reading! Few things gives me as much pleasure as books and writing projects. I'm also an edacious reader, excited by essays, memoirs, travel writing, novels and short stories, but especially nonfiction. Besides that, I'm an avid outdoorsman who loves to hike, camp, bike and explore. (And when I can't travel, I often read about new cultures and places. For example, I just read Ian Frazier's 500-page book "Travels in Siberia" in a few days.) Music is another indispensable ingredient in my life, so my wife and I see a lot of bands play, and we listen to a lot of records, from jazz to classical to loud rock and roll. Listening isn't enough, apparently, because I taught myself to play drums years ago, and now I'm learning guitar. It's a fun challenge, and I'm finally learning some complete songs. We like to cook. We also have a dog. She's a greyhound named Gena. We spend a lot of time with her. Pets are like music and friends: they make life complete. Before adopting Gena, I had a cat and a ferret named Wiggy. I miss Wiggy, so I memorialized him in an essay I wrote for a literary magazine. My love of books and writing led me to work at Powell's Books downtown for six years, which was a bibliophile's dream. Naturally, our home library is large and diverse.
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