Biography
Peter Elbow is Emeritus Professor of English at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst--where he directed the Writing Program. Elbow has had a longstanding interest in voice as it relates to writing, identity, and power, and his revolutionary book Writing without Teachers has influenced a whole generation of writers with its democratizing emphasis on helping people work on writing on their own and with others outside of educational institutions. His other books include Oppositions in Chaucer, Writing with Power: Techniques for Mastering the Writing Process, Embracing Contraries: Explorations in Learning and Teaching, What is English?, and most recently, Everyone Can Write: Essays Toward a Hopeful Theory of Writing and Teaching Writing. Elbow is the author of numerous essays and has given talks and workshops at many colleges and universities. He has served on the Executive Council of the Modern Language Association and the Executive Committee of the Conference on College Composition and Communication. Elbow holds degrees from Williams College, Oxford University, and Brandeis University.