Iain A. Grinbergs, Ph.D.
Professional Experience
Assistant Professor of English and Communications
College of Central Florida
Ocala, FL
August 2023-Present
Teaching over 100 students in online, HyFlex, and in-person developmental and project-based writing courses.
Emphasizing different forms of rhetoric so students can better use and identify effective communication in real-world contexts.
Designing engaging Canva presentations and video recordings to explain communication theories, such as procedural rhetoric and the Elaboration Likelihood Model.
Using technology, such as Voyant and podcasts, in the classroom to emphasize multimodality and foster critical thinking to meet the needs of our digital age.
Designing and building writing courses in Canvas based on instructional scaffolding.
Spearheading a New Initiative project to help develop a comprehensive OER-focused ENC 1102 LibGuide.
Serving on numerous committees, such as the IPR Committee and the Technical Communication Textbook Committee.
English Instructor
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
August 2020-June 2023
Gave personalized feedback on about 160 papers and in-class assignments from 38 students per semester regarding the strength of their arguments, depth of research, audience awareness, grammar, narrative tensions, and/or poetry.
Adapted 24 lesson plans each semester to incorporate previous student feedback and include timely references to media, such as TikTok videos and Instagram posts, to provide memorable examples for students.
Designed presentations via PowerPoint and Canva to explain complex writing and literary concepts using easier language, visual examples, and in-class activities.
Conducted about 160 one-on-one sessions with students to ensure they understood their lessons, applied the concepts to their writing, and asked any questions they might have hesitated to ask in the classroom.
Online Editor
Southeast Review
Tallahassee, FL
August 2021-May 2022
Edited and proofread more than 100 submissions and author biographies for consistency and style, uploaded them to the website, categorized them appropriately, and formatted them to adhere to the journal’s standards.
Grew the social media audience by about 1,000 new followers after improving the journal’s aesthetic; sharing literary pictures, GIFs, and memes; engaging on posts; and using the analytics to identify trends in our popular content.
Used Wix to customize the online design for volumes 39.2 and 40.1 to highlight the main visual art submissions.
Managed eight social media interns by giving them examples to let them pitch their ideas for posts, then reviewing their submissions to ensure the content was appropriate for our branding.
Communicated with authors about changes to their work and timelines for publication.
Adjunct English Instructor
Northern Virginia Community College
Alexandria, VA
January-May 2020
Taught a diverse class of almost 20 students with differing language abilities, educational backgrounds, and ages.
Modified classroom strategy to include more individualized feedback with in-class, one-on-one conferences.
Enhanced lesson plans by breaking down concepts into more fundamental steps to ensure all students understood the material.
Gave personalized feedback on about 80 papers regarding argument strength, research depth, and grammar.
Designed roughly 12 presentations via PowerPoint to explain complex writing concepts using easier language, visual examples, and in-class activities.
Adjunct English Instructor
American University
Washington, D.C.
August-December 2019
Instructed about 40 students in the foundations of effective research writing, such as research proposals and annotated bibliographies, to prepare them not only for advanced major classes but also for policy-based careers.
Counseled students on how to select research topics, identify and analyze supportive texts, address findings that did not support their conclusions, and find the human elements that made their arguments effective.
Advised students in writing personal essays so they could understand how to engage in meaningful self-reflection and persuasively use storytelling to support their research.
English Instructor
The University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, AL
August 2017-May 2019
Taught about 100 students how to write creative nonfiction, including essay writing and journalistic storytelling.
Guided students in practicing skills contributing to good nonfiction, such as active listening, asking open-ended questions, and following their curiosity and writer’s intuition.
Assigned readings and media, like podcasts, that contained elements of quality storytelling, allowing students to hone close-reading skills while finding examples of how they could improve their work.
Middle School Reading and Creative Writing Teacher
Duval County Public Schools
Jacksonville, FL
August 2016-June 2017
Taught about 140 students better reading comprehension skills, including how to understand instructions, identify the purpose of a text, and define unfamiliar words within the context of their use.
Used student performance data to design weekly lesson plans that would accommodate different learning styles, language fluency, and behavioral needs.
Attended weekly brainstorming and support meetings with other teachers to discuss effective classroom management, teaching techniques, and students who might need support services in or outside of school.
Communicated with students’ caretakers in person, over the phone, and via email about student progress and needs to improve in-school performance and behavior.
Created a teacher tutoring station next to my desk for students who required additional support to reduce the stigma around needing assistance in reading.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy in English
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
August 2023
Master of Arts in English
The University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, AL
May 2019
Bachelor of Arts in English
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
December 2015
Research and Teaching Interests
British Romanticism, Poetry and Poetics, Rhetorical Theory, Disability Studies, and Buddhist Philosophy
Honors and Awards
Runner-up, Tennessee Williams and New Orleans Literary Festival’s 2023 Saints and Sinners Poetry Contest
Semifinalist, Conduit Magazine’s 2022 Marystina Santiestevan First Book Prize
Finalist, Black Lawrence Press’s Fall 2021 Black River Chapbook Competition
Waters Award for Excellence in Literature, FSU, 2021
William Lee Pryor Scholarship, FSU, 2020
College Courses Taught
ENC 0015: Introduction to College Writing I, August 2023-Present
ENC 0025: Introduction to College Writing II, August 2023-Present
ENC 1101: Rhetoric in Contemporary Communication I, August 2023-Present
ENC 1102: Rhetoric in Contemporary Communication II, August 2023-Present
ENC 3310: Article and Essay Technique (Flash Non-fiction), January-May 2023
CRW 3311: Poetic Technique, August-December 2022
LIT 2000: Introduction to Literature (Order v. Chaos), January-May 2022
LIT 2030: Introduction to Poetry, August-December 2021
ENC 2135: Research, Genre, and Context, August 2020-2023
ENG 111: College Composition I, January-May 2020
WRTG 100: College Writing, August-December 2019
EN 102: English Composition II, January-May 2019
EN 101: English Composition I, August-December 2018
Publications
Books
Vanity Twist: Poems, Bottlecap Press, 2024
Poetry
“An Afternoon Bike Ride in NW D.C.,” Meridian, 2023
“G.I. Joe,” New Poetry from the Festival, Saints and Sinners Literary Festival, 2023
“Ode to the Chevy Blazer,” New Poetry from the Festival, Saints and Sinners Literary Festival, 2023
“Recipe,” New Poetry from the Festival, Saints and Sinners Literary Festival, 2023
“Watching Nigel Slater Cook on the TV,” New Poetry from the Festival, Saints and Sinners Literary Festival, 2023
“The Geese Are Back (in Town),” Jersey Devil Press, 2022
“Early morning in Tallahassee,” Juke Joint, 2022
“In the Dentist’s Office, D.C.,” Juke Joint, 2022
“Like Elton John selling boiled peanuts outside Seaside,” Juke Joint, 2022
“Cinderella Venting in a Letter to Someone,” Furtive Dalliance Literary Review, 2018
“Distractions, Arroyo Seco, New Mexico,” Furtive Dalliance Literary Review, 2018
“October,” Furtive Dalliance Literary Review, 2018
“Six Couplets, with Crabs,” Furtive Dalliance Literary Review, 2018
Fiction
“Busted,” Ghost Parachute, 2022
“June,” Wilderness House Literary Review, 2021
“Daylilies,” Furtive Dalliance Literary Review, 2018
Reviews
“Docu-thriller ‘Collective’ chronicles grim nightclub fire disaster,” Tallahassee Democrat, 2020
Professional Affiliations
Member, John Clare Society, July 2024-Present
Member, College English Association, August 2024-Present
Member, Society for Disability Studies, September 2024-Present