Spotlight on Dr. Natalie Dorfeld: Ironman

The faculty spotlight is on Dr. Natalie Dorfeld this week! Joining the Humanities and Communication Department in the Fall of 2012, she has been quick to make her mark by volunteering at Humanities and Communication events as well as helping organize the upcoming Creative Writing Institute this June. Dr. Natalie M. Dorfeld was born and raised in Greenville, Pennsylvania, home of the parachute. In her free time, she enjoys anything and everything involving a blatant disregard for personal safety, such as skydiving, petting sharks, and training for marathons / Ironman competitions. She resides in Palm Bay with her wonderful husband, a plethora of cats, and a Heinz 57 mutt.

My name is Dr. Natalie Dorfeld.  I teach COM 1101 at FIT, and this is my first year.

I have been teaching at the college level since 2001.  I have taught American literature, creative writing, business writing, public speaking, and ESL classes at Thiel College in Greenville, PA.

In the creative realm, I am a poet by nature.  My first chapbook, Dancing Razorblades, is currently under review.  For my research, I focus on the growing, and often detrimental, reliance on adjunct professors in the humanities, composition studies in particular.

I am a member of National Council of Teachers of English, College Composition and Communication, The Pennsylvania College English Association, The Council of Writing Program Administrators, and Three Rivers Teachers of Speakers of Other Languages.

My advice for budding scholars is don’t take rejection personally.  It’s part of the game.  Put your stuff out there and often.  Someone will recognize your genius sooner or later.

In my free time, I enjoy anything and everything involving a blatant disregard for personal safety, such as skydiving, petting sharks, and training for marathons / Ironman competitions.

If I could live in a different time, I would live in the sixties.  It appeals to my hippie nature.

My favorite book is A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole.

The last movie that I saw was Lincoln.  I don’t want to spoil the ending, but bring a tissue. It doesn’t end well for him.