Lisa Coffman

Lisa Coffman is a Lecturer at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), specializing in creative writing and literary studies. She holds an MA in Creative Writing from New York University and a BA in College Scholars from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, with emphases in Computer Programming, English, and minors in Mathematics and German. She was a Rotary International Scholar at the Universität Bonn in Germany.

Her research and teaching interests include Poetry, Feature-length Journalism, Creative Nonfiction, and Southern Appalachian History. She has been recognized with prestigious awards such as the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Poetry and the Pew Charitable Trusts Fellowship in Poetry. Her work also includes serving as Bucknell University’s Poet in Residence and winning the Stan and Tom Wick Poetry Prize.

Coffman teaches a range of English courses at Cal Poly, including advanced creative writing and literature seminars. She advises campus clubs like the Writers Collective and Simple Club. Her creative output includes poetry collections such as Likely and Less Obvious Gods, along with feature articles in prominent publications like the BBC North America and Oxford American.