Office:  Parkhouse 451
Phone:  215-641-6369
E-mail:  pnestler@mc3.edu

As Ernest Hemingway said, "A writer's problem...remains the same.  It is always how to write truly and, having found out what is true, to project it in such a way that it becomes a part of the experience of the person who reads it."  For over twenty years, I have been helping students at Montco work on this problem described by Hemingway.  Whether teaching composition or creative writing, tutoring in the Learning Lab, or advising the Writers' Club, I have constantly tried to find new ways of sharing my love of writing with novices and published writers alike.

In my courses, students share their works in a supportive environment.  Through ungraded revisions, they develop final drafts to submit for grades.  This process allows them to work on their varying levels of writing ability according to their individual needs.  I have also asked successful alumni and professional authors into the classroom to work with beginners.  As Adviser to the Writers' Club since 1981, I have been able to bring on campus such notable authors as Kurt Vonnegut, Alex Haley, Joyce Carol Oates, and Edward Albee (standing front center in group photograph).  Similarly, in an effort to turn Montco into a cultural center for writers, I have coordinated seven major conferences that have attracted over 150 writers to our campus each time.  In addition, I  have provided opportunities each semester for students to attend coffeehouses, scripts presentations, workshops, and other literary events so that they can learn through interaction with experienced authors.   I have especially encouraged students to continue their writing development beyond our class.  A tremendous reward has been seeing many of them get their works published in everything from local papers to top periodicals and books.

All of my efforts as a professor at Montco have one main goal.  I want  to make writing more than just a classroom requirement.  When students leave my courses, I'd like them to feel that they now know not only  how to handle the problem Hemingway describes above, but they can actually enjoy solving it.

Education:

M.A. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 1973
B.A.  Gettysburg College 1972

Monday, Wednesday 3:00-4:00
Thursday 2:30-3:30
Other times by appointment

Schedule:
 

Course	Title	Location	Days	Time
Eng 102	Composition II	Parkhouse Hall	Monday, Wednesday	1:30-2:55
Eng 102	Composition II	Parkhouse Hall	Tuesday, Thursday	11:10-12:35
Eng 265	Creative Writing	Parkhouse Hall	Tuesday, Thursday	12:45-2:10
Eng 265	Creative Writing	Parkhouse Hall	Tuesday evening	7:00-10:15
LAL	Learning Assistance Lab	College Hall	Monday, Wednesday	4:00-7:00

Writers' Club Adviser:  Thursday evenings 7:00-10:00 (additional times and events as scheduled)