Jessica Pisano

Lecturer of English

Contact Information

    Office Hours

    • Tuesday 11:45 am - 1:00 pm
    • Thursday 11:45 am - 1:00 pm
    • Note: And by appointment.

    I was born in Jacksonville, Florida, but by the time I finished high school, I had already lived at fifteen different addresses in five different states. I began my academic career as a voice major at a small women's college in Georgia, but after a single semester realized that UNCA was much more my style. I transferred, changed my major to Literature, and worked to attain a teaching certificate in secondary education as well.

    After graduating, I taught middle school and high school in the Buncombe County schools for ten years and earned a MA in English from Western Carolina University. Before my two children started school, I worked at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, teaching expository writing and tutoring in the writing center. Here at UNCA I serve as First-Year Writing Coordinator, English/Language Arts Licensure Coordinator, and a Center for Teaching and Learning Faculty Fellow. I teach LANG 120 as well as licensure classes, striving to create a classroom environment that fosters community and honors student expression and choice. In my free time I enjoy spending time with family and friends, reading, writing, running, hiking, dancing, and cooking and eating good food.

    Education

    • B.A. in Literature and Secondary Education Certification, University of North Carolina Asheville, 1998
    • M.A. in English, Western Carolina University, 2004

    Awards, Grants, Publications, & Presentations

    • Award. “Award for Teaching Excellence in the Humanities.” UNCA. May 2019.
    • Award. “Community Connector Award.” UNCA. April 2018.
    • Jessica Pisano. “Making Connections in the Time of COVID.” English Journal. July 2022.
    • Jessica Pisano. “Moments.” CODA. June 2021.
    • Jessica Pisano (co-PI) with Angel Kaur (PI), Evan Couzo (co-PI), and Becky Sanft (co-PI). "SciComm to the Rescue: Using Science Communication Instruction to Improve Undergraduate Science Literacy Skills." National Science Foundation grant. $300K funded November 2021.
    • Jessica Pisano and Brian Graves. "What We Say When We Talk about Writing: SeekingCommon Ground across the Curriculum." International Writing Across the Curriculum Conference. August 2021.
    • Jessica Pisano and Amanda Galvin. “Connecting Town and Gown in the Time of COVID: A High School-University Partnership Goes Virtual.” Conference on Community Writing. October 2021.
    • Jessica Pisano and Nancy Ruppert. “Teaching Candidates to Assess Student Learning: A COVID Collaboration with Arts and Sciences 
    • Faculty.” Current Issues in Middle Level Education. December 2020.