Elizabeth Word Gutting’s writing has been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Humanities Magazine, Juked, Paper Darts, and The Millions, among others. She has taught creative writing to high school students, college students, and elderly adults. She received her MFA in fiction from George Mason University and her BA in English and Creative Writing from Kenyon College. Born and raised in St. Louis, she has lived in Washington, D.C.; Boise, Idaho; the Mission District of San Francisco; and on a tangerine farm on the island of Jeju in South Korea. She now lives in Arlington, Virginia with her husband and two children.

“I love to work with students on their writing in a one-on-one setting. My approach is one of collaboration and warmth, and my goal when working with young writers is to help them reach their goals – as well as to identify their strengths and areas for improvement. I have a strong foundation in teaching the craft of creative writing, including plot, dialogue, scene, exposition, sensory detail, and point of view."

"I believe that humans are narrative beings. We all love stories, and we all have the capacity to tell stories – both our own personal narratives and the stories that we imagine. Writing can be a solitary process, but as a writing coach, I will help students identify themselves as storytellers and bring their drafts or their ideas to fruition.”