Marnie Dresser

creativity consultant, teacher, workshop leader

Who I Am

When I was a child, being creative meant things like drawing an elaborate cityscape on the back wall of my closet. Fortunately, my parents didn’t notice it until they were ready to sell the house (I was in college by then).
But most of the time, my creativity doesn’t get me in trouble. I’ve expressed it through writing and just generally doing things my own way.


I try to engage creatively with tasks and situations on a daily basis.  You can follow me on Instagram (marniedresser), where I try to post several #alternateuses each week, examples of someone doing something creative with an object--something other than its intended use--or an unusually creative response in a situation or solution to a problem.


academic degrees

  • • BA in English, Southern Illinois U., 1986 
  • • MA in English, Southern Illinois U.,  1989 
  • • MFA in Creative Writing, U. of Montana, 1991

current position

  • • Professor of English, UW-Platteville Richland (1992 - present; I’ve been teaching in the UW System since 1991)

classes I teach and have taught regularly

  • • composition
  • • creative writing
  • • a variety of literature classes (American Literature survey, Nature Writing, First Nations Literature, Women Writers)
  • • creativity & problem-solving

classes in which I’ve been a visiting lecturer

  • • Sociology of Sports
  • • Philosophy of Literature

research

  • • presentations at regional and international academic conferences on rubrics related to creativity