Frankel/CV/3
Curriculum Vitae
Valerie Frankel
1088 Colton Ave
Sunnyvale, CA 94089-1503
(408)314-9308
ACADEMIC PREPARATION:
MFA in Creative Writing, Department of English, San Jose State University 2004.
Concentrations: Fiction and Nonfiction
Thesis: The White Crystal of Calithwain
Advisor: Professor Alan Soldofsky
BA in English: Department of English, University of California, Davis 2002.
Concentration: Creative Writing
Minors: Spanish and Education
Junior year spent at internationally acclaimed creative writing school University of East Anglia, United Kingdom.
LANGUAGES:
Fluent in English and Spanish
Some French and Hebrew
RESEARCH AND COMPUTER SKILLS:
Four years as an office assistant, in a synagogue office where many visitors spoke only Russian or Hebrew.
Highly proficient computer skills, from internet research to Word, Excel, FrontPage, PowerPoint, PhotoShop, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe PageMaker, etc.
Designed and created own interactive website, available at www.calithwain.com. It currently offers sample chapters and nonfiction clips, writing resources, and a recommended reading list.
Website offers links to reputable literary databases online, to ensure that students learn to research properly, along with links to many fiction markets at all levels.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
Lecturer, Composition 1A and 1B, 2005-present
San Jose State University, San Jose, CA
· Have taught four classes each semester.
· Lots of enthusiastic repeat students.
· Most papers returned the next class for all sections.
Creative Writing and Reading Comprehension Teacher, 2004-present
Communications Academy, Cupertino, CA
· Teach elementary students up through junior high.
· Create lesson plans, materials, curriculums, activities and worksheets. Outside tutoring.
· Seriously language-delayed students who speak little English.
· Help each student to write his/her own complete book, with peer edits, drafts, and even reviews.
· Teach students to workshop and respond to each other as writers. Improve prose quality.
SAT Preview, Creative Writing, SAT I Verbal, and SAT II Writing Teacher, 2003-2006
BEST SAT Review, Cupertino, CA
· Taught classes of grammar and writing to gifted high school students each quarter.
· Created lesson plans, tests, curriculums, activities and games. Outside tutoring.
· Students improved 100-300 points on tests after eight weeks of training.
· Formulated much of the instruction material for all English-related classes.
· Taught nine SAT classes a week, seven of them writing.
Creative Writing Teacher, 2004-2005
Tican Institute, Santa Clara, CA
· Taught creative writing for kindergarten through 6th graders at after-school program.
· Created lesson plans, materials, worksheets, curriculums, activities and games.
· Had to balance incredibly diverse needs (all the children wrote at different levels and many couldn’t speak English).
· Graded over fifty papers for each class every week.
Teaching Associate and Graduate Assistant, 2002-2004
San Jose State University, San Jose, CA
· Course: English 1A: Composition
· Course: English 71: Intro to Creative Writing
Religious School Teacher 2001-2005
Congregations Emanu-El, Beit Haverim: San Jose & Davis
· 5th-6th grade teacher. Trope specialist for 7th grade. Jewish Creative Writing teacher for 8th-12th.
· Taught 3 classes of 3rd and 4th graders Judaica and the Hebrew language
EDITORIAL EXPERIENCE:
Edited The Writing Life. 2003-2004
Edited San Jose State University English Department Newsletter 2003-2004
Edited The Sneeze, the UC Davis humor magazine 2001-2002
Edited Voyeur, a British arts magazine 2000-2001
Edited La Palabra, a Latino interest journal 1999-2000
Edited Seele, the UC Davis literary journal 1999-2000
· Duties included managing submissions, using Adobe PageMaker and PhotoShop to format articles, fundraising, distributing, advertising, etc.
· Own work appeared in all six magazines.
PUBLICATIONS:
Novels:
Henry Potty and the Pet Rock: An Unauthorized Harry Potter Parody. 1-59594-088-X. Wingspan Press. August 2006.
Short works in journals:
“Darkwitch Rising” Renaissance Magazine. June 2006.
“One Wish” The Sword Review. February 2006.
“What Do Genies Wish For?” Vermont Ink. Fall 2005.
“Gilgamesh” Rosebud Magazine. Spring 2005.
“The Wedding Day” Lodestar Quarterly. Spring 2005.
“Sungauyak, Bear Cub, and Volcano Woman.” Story Station. Spring 2005.
“Review: Eats Shoots and Leaves” Oasis Magazine. Spring 2005.
“Sky Girl” Pebble Lake Review. January 2005.
“Spirit Shaper” Gryphonwood. December 2004.
“Dick and Jane Grow Up” The Oklahoma Review. Fall 2004.
“What Do Genies Wish For?” Beyond Centauri. October 2004.
“Gilgamesh” Riverwalk Journal. January/February 2005.
“Gilgamesh” The Writers Publishing. June 2004.
“Child of the Prophecy” The Poet’s Haven. April 2004.
“One Wish” Twilight Times. April 2004.
“The Untapped Market” Orchard Valley Review. November 2003.
“Real Affection” Aoife's Kiss.June 2003.
“Jhara's Tale” Success by Design. March 2003.
“Exile’s Honor” Ambitions. January 2003.
Henry Potty excerpt. The Sneeze. May 2002.
“Musee de Gemail.” Voyeur Arts Magazine. May 2001.
“A Jewish Journey Through Toledo” Jewish Community News of San Jose. March 2001.
“Gilgamesh” Seele, the UC Davis Literary Journal. May 2000.
“Folklorico” La Palabra. May 2000.
“Brightly Burning” Strange Horizons. October 2000.
“Tattercoats” Fables Magazine. Fall 2000
Full list available upon request.
Short works in anthologies:
“A Thief in Need” ShadowSword. Forthcoming.
“Take a Thief” and “Sword Sworn” Once Upon a World. Forthcoming.
“To Be Verbs and How Not to Use Them” 2004 Creative Writing/Creative Teaching: Pedagogy Papers. March 2004.
“Tough Alliances” The Kings of the Night. December 2003.
“Real Affection” Wondrous Web Worlds 4. December 2003.
“Star Child” The Best of Scifantastic. December 2003.
“A Thief in Need” In the Outposts of Beyond. June 2003.
“Real Affection” Portals. June 2003
“Tea and Company” Legends of the Pendragon. August 2002.
“Gilgamesh”Surfacing. June 2001.
Reviews:
Express Reviewer, Bookreview.com.
Staff Reviewer, Rambles Cultural Arts, New Pages, Arabella Romances and The Drexel Online Journal.
PAPERS PRESENTED AT CONFERENCES:
“Snatching the Ring from his Finger: The Heroine’s Mythic Journey” Presented at the 41st Annual Comparative Literature Conference, CSU Long Beach, 2006.
“Chakram and Pigtails: The Heroine's Journey in Modern Media.” Presented at the World Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention, Anaheim, CA 2006.
“To Be Verbs and How Not to Use Them” Presented at the 2004 Annual Association of Writers and Writing Programs conference, Chicago, IL 2004.
“Pillars of Strength: Exploring the Male and Female Archetypes” Presented at the 30th Annual World Fantasy Convention, Tempe, AZ 2004.
Attended seven writing conferences in 2003-2004.
CURRENT RESEARCH INTERESTS:
Working on a nonfiction book examining Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey and exploring the contrasting heroine’s journey.
Humorous collection of Jewish fiction is nearing completion.
Reinterpretations of classic myth, in the tradition of Grendel or Till We Have Faces.
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS:
AWP, Association of Writers and Writing Programs
SCBWI, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
SFWA, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
SPAWN, Small Publishers, Artists, and Writers Network
SPAN, Small Publishers Association of North America
PMA, The Independent Book Publishers Association
Poets & Writers Directory
HONORS AND AWARDS:
"Henry Potty and the Pet Rock" excerpt. Phelan Award 2004 First Prize for humor.
“Tea and Company.” Nominated for 2003 Origin Awards.
“The Fire Rose.” Bestselling author Juliet Marillier's website—Review of the Month Award. June 2002.
"Gilgamesh." Olympiad of the Arts 2000 Honorable Mention.