Elizabethtown College English Department

Jesse Waters is a jovial, charismatic individual with a love for his academic flock of Blue Jays. Known as Jesse to his students, his favorite aspect of being an instructor is the opportunity to share his life experiences.

In the classroom, Waters is revered as an engaging and supportive professor who is very open to in-class discussion. “He was really good at getting his point across and demonstrating the importance of the subject matter,” said mass communications major Justin Shurr.

The Director of The Bower’s Writers House 

Among his students, Waters is seen as a friendly, personable and knowledgeable man. When he is not in the classroom, Waters also serves as the director of the Bowers Writers House. This is the part of the Elizabethtown campus that’s dearest to him.

The Writer’s House is a relaxed, no pressure place where one can always find something worthwhile going on that. The Writer’s House is a venue blossoming with a rich, authentic creativity. It is a space where students and members of the community can throw convention to the wind and dabble in many forms of literature.

Along with the Writer’s House, Waters values “having the opportunity to work with a student population who is talented and disciplined.” The community and staff seem to be a large part of the reason why Waters feels at home here at Elizabethtown College.

Guidance for New Students

Waters believes the best thing new students can do when coming into the English Department is to contact alumni who graduated with the same degree. This will show the dynamic field of experiences that the department and multitude of degrees offer. It will also showcase the achievements of the alumni and give the students something to work toward and see what can be possible.

Water’s favorite classes to teach include any of the creative workshops. “I feel glad that I have the opportunity to teach them.” Waters said. The courses that he offers cover a multitude of mediums within the English field, including classes on creative nonfiction and the short story.

Achievements and Writing

Along with being an active member of our Elizabethtown staff, Waters is a prestigious writer in his own right, with many awards and honors under his belt. These accolades include being the runner up for the Iowa Review Fiction Prize and winner of the 2001 River Styx International Poetry Contest.

Considering his achievements in the verse form, it is no surprise that Waters values creative expression. Waters sees poetry as “the most gratifying form of writing.”  His experience and perspective allow him to share a valued element of creative expression to Elizabethtown College.

Author bio:

Cam Wirth is a junior mass communications major and a creative writing minor. He is a member of the student lead public relations firm on campus. He is a self-proclaimed cookie enthusiast and enjoys reading and writing creative fiction in his free time.