Nathalie Kuroiwa-Lewis, Ph.D.
Professor, English
- nkuroiwalewis@stmartin.edu
- 360-688-2641
Old Main 411
"I would like students to take away from my classes that writing is one of the ultimate arts in self-expression. It is a serious means of finding communion with humanity. Write what you like to write, write often and with purpose and you may find yourself more in sync with the human planet."
Areas of Expertise
- Creative writing: multigenre, including poetry writing
- Writing: environmental, general, academic and basic
- Rhetoric: war, environmental, poetics and rhetoric, Burkean studies
- Humanities: digital and public humanities
- Literature: poetry, drama, environmental literature, speculative fiction, multigenre literature
Education
Ph.D. in rhetoric, composition and English (RCTE), University of Arizona
M.A. in English rhetoric, composition and TESOL, St.Cloud State
M.A. in theatre, SU of New York at Albany
B.A. in English literature (minor in Spanish), College St. Scholastica
Background
Nathalie Kuroiwa-Lewis is a Professor of English at Saint Martin’s University in Lacey, Washington and board member of the Olympia Poetry Network. Nathalie has a Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Composition and two Masters degrees, one in Theatre, and the other in English with an emphasis in TESL. She is passionate about teaching writing and environmental issues and has two primary areas of specialization. She writes poetry, which is her main area of writing and is branching out in other genres in the field of creative writing. She also does scholarly writing focused on environmental rhetoric connected to defense related activities. In addition, she is interested in craft theory and writing about the rhetoric of creative writing, song writing and composition research. Half French-Canadian, Nathalie speaks fluent French and English and is an avid traveler, having lived in Quebec, the Czech Republic and Japan. Nathalie lives in Olympia with her family and enjoys practicing singing yoga, playing the acoustic guitar, hiking, biking, swimming. She travels to other countries when she can. She loves the beauty of the Pacific Northwest and is a strong supporter of the arts in the area
Recent courses
WRT 405: Advanced creative writing
WRT 320: Atomic narratives
WRT 292: Introduction to creative writing
COR210/ENG210: Empowering genres (Writing Intensive literature course)
COR210/ENG220: Adventures in poetry (Writing Intensive literature course)
COR120: Learning the tools of the craft (first year writing)
COR100: The beauty of language
ENG100: Telling your story
Publications
2023 poems, "Yellow Dragon" and "Morning Walk on Devonshire Road." Book of Matches. Issue 9.
2023 poem, “Relic,” Cirque: A Literary Journal For The North Pacific Rim, #25. Volume 13, no.1.
2023 poem, “The Chicxulub Event,” The Coop: A Poetry Cooperative.
2023 Poem, “Hesperopetes,” Book of Matches. Issue 7.
2022 Poem, “Saint Matthew’s Rectus Femoris,” Viewless Wings (poetry podcast).
2022 Poem, “Aeolus At Hanford,” Cirque: A Literary Journal For The North Pacific Rim, #24. Volume 12, issue 2. (forthcoming).
2022 Poem, “Dragonfly,” The Madrona Project: Human Communities in Wild Places by Empty Bowl press. Volume 2, issue 2.
2022 Book Chapter, “Hiding Guns In Schools: The Rhetoric Of US Mass Shootings” in Rhetoric and Guns, Utah State UP edited by Lydia Wilkes, Kate Kreuter and Ryan Skinnell, pp. 199-217.
2021 Poems, “Conversions,” “Waterfall Climbing,” The Wild Word. Issue 62.
2020 Poem, “Fetch,” The Tiger Moth Review. Issue 4.
2019 Poem, “Skipping in the Vortex,” Oyster River Pages. Issue 3.2.
2019 Poem, “On the Bus,” The Windhover. 23.2
2018 Poem, “Rain,” Aji.
2017, Lyrics for “Songs of Cloak and Light” (Collaborated with Musician-in-Residence, William Campbell and SMU Music Director Darrell Born).
2017 Poems, “To a Fish,” and “Expansions,” In Layman’s Terms. Issue 1.
2017 Poem, “Arsenic Dreams,” Dark Matter: A Journal of Natural Metaphor. Issue 10
2016 - Poems, “The Dandy Gorilla,” and “Hydraulic Frolicking,” THAT Literary Review.
2016 - Poem, “Ozone Smoking,” Dark Matter: A Journal of Speculative Writing. Issue 8.
2016 - Chapter titled “Invisible Scapegoats, Invisible Victims: President Obama’s Rhetoric of 21st Century Wars” in EAAS conference volume titled, America; Justice, Conflict, War. Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitatsverlag, 2016.
2015 - Political commentary. “Field notes from Olympia: the ever elusive ‘public good.’" Crosscut. March 4.
2015 - Poem titled, “Awakenings,” Penny Ante Feud 16: Poor Bird (volume 16).
2014 - Book chapter. "Keep[ing] profits at a reasonable low rate:' Invoking American Civil Religion in FDR's Rhetoric of Tax Equity and Citizenship” in Contemporary Rhetorical Citizenship: Rhetoric in Society edited by Christian Kock and Lisa Villadsen. Leiden University Press. 2014. Print.
2014 - Poem titled, “Osama,” OccuPoetry. October issue 4.
2014 - Poems titled, “Tickle-down Economics,” “The Bottom Line” The Social Policy Magazine. Fall 2014.
2014 - “The War Syllogism in American Presidential Rhetoric.” CounterPunch March 27.
Professional links:
Rhetoric Society Quarterly
Conference on College Composition and Communication
Modern Language Association
Rhetoric resources:
K.B. Journal
American Society for the History of Rhetoric
The Internet Classics Archive
The Forest of Rhetoric
Professional associations/memberships
Association of Writers and Writing Program
Rhetoric Society of America
Olympia Poetry Network board member
Olympia Songwriter’s Circle
The Hanford Challenge
Accomplishments
Dr. Kuroiwa-Lewis was a nominee for the Outstanding Faculty Member award of 2013-2014. She is a firm believer in social justice and was an instrumental force in reviving the student newspaper, “The Belltower,” developing the first sustainable newspaper on campus. She also successfully advocated for increased allocations for faculty for faculty research. She created the Writing minor and now directs the minor and is currently director of the Writing Center.
Areas of interest
Creative writing; rhetorical theory and criticism, rhetoric of war; rhetoric of ethics and pacifism, political and economic rhetoric; environmental rhetoric, media rhetoric; classical rhetoric; trauma and sacrifice in Greek classic literature and renaissance and contemporary literature; investigative journalism; Burkean studies, rhetoric of protest music.