English Faculty and Staff
Full-time Faculty
Simon Abramowitsch
Faculty
I was born in Oakland and raised in Berkeley. I earned my BA in Liberal Arts from
Eugene Lang College in New York and an MA in English at Howard University in Washington,
DC. I finished my PhD in English with an emphasis in African American Studies at UC
Davis. I have taught and tutored English for many years, and in my classes I love
using literature, reading, and writing to think about the issues we face as individuals
and as a society. I also research and write about multiethnic American literature:
I have published articles about Ta-Nehisi Coates and about the Black Power Movement,
and I have an ongoing research project about multiethnic literature and politics in
the San Francisco Bay Area. I like going to plays, playing soccer, learning new things,
and laughing with the homies. One of my favorite books is James Baldwin's The Fire
Next Time. There's a reason that so many people love this book: it helps us feel anger,
sadness, and hope all at the same time.
Mark Anderson
Faculty
I was raised in Chicago, growing up on the success of the Bulls and the failures of
the Cubs. I have memories of traversing the city’s neighborhoods via the el and running
along Lake Michigan with my cross-country team. Inspired by a mother who was a librarian
mother and a father who was an English teacher, I immersed myself in books at an early
age. In sixth grade, The Lord of the Rings taught be how to visit other worlds through
reading. In ninth grade, The Autobiography of Malcolm X taught me how to see the real
world from new perspectives. I studied English literature at Princeton University
(BA 1998) where I wrote my senior thesis about the plays of August Wilson. While in
college I coordinated service learning trips for underclassmen which gave me my first
taste of what it would be like to be a teacher, and engage deeply in conversations
about social justice. After teaching high school and middle school for several years,
went back to school to study English composition at San Francisco State (MA 2011).
There I explored topics such as giving feedback to students from diverse linguistic
backgrounds. For my culminating project, I wrote about the experiences of students
making the transition between high school and college writing courses. I began teaching
at Chabot College in 2014 and have been inspired by my colleagues’ passion for teaching
and by our students’ innovation and graciousness. In my free time I enjoy hiking with
my wife and three kids in the East Bay’s beautiful parks, running, playing guitar,
and writing songs and poetry.
Tom deWit
Faculty
Tom De Wit earned his BA from UC Berkeley, a secondary education credential from SF
State, and an MA from the University of Virginia. He works with the Umoja Program,
as he has done for many years. One of his favorite books is Toni Morrison's Beloved.
Homeira Foth
Faculty
My Bachelor’s degree and my Master’s degree are both in English Literature. I also
have a single subject teaching credential in high school English. I received both
my Bachelor’s degree and my teaching credential at San Francisco State University,
and I got my master’s degree from San Jose State University. My areas of interest
in literature are in World Literature (comparative literature), Modern American and
English literature, and Shakespeare. When I’m not teaching, and I have some time off,
I write fiction. My publications include: “Letters to Keats,” which was published
in the journal, Wordriver (UNLV publication); the first chapter of my novel, The Devil
of Nob Hill, which was published in the Silk Road Review (Pacific University). Besides
writing, I also like to travel, read, hike, cook Iranian food, watch old films, and
watch my son play baseball. One of my favorite books is Women without Men by Shahrnush
Parsipur. The novel is about five Iranian women, during the 1940s, whose destinies
bring them together; each woman is trying to escape abuse and the narrow confines
of a heavily patriarchal society. It’s a beautifully written novel - a protest in
the form of allegory – about the unjust treatment of women.
Orellana Johnson
Faculty
My name is Orellana “Orey” Johnson, and I began teaching as a full-time professor
at Chabot in fall 2018! Before coming to Chabot, I taught at campuses all over California
(Los Angeles Southwest College, West Los Angeles College, Los Angeles City College,
Compton College, College of San Mateo, Cañanda College, City College of San Francisco,
Chabot College). I earned my Bachelors of Arts in English, with an emphasis in Creative
Writing, from California State University-Sacramento. I earned my Masters of Arts
in Composition from San Francisco State University. After graduate school, I had the
unique opportunity to work in tech and sales, but I always knew that I would come
back to work in education. All of my classes are from the perspective of giving an
equitable voice to and increasing the visibility of marginalized people, as social
justice is something I strongly believe in and support. While I love teaching, I also
really love creating art (painting, sculpting, throwing on the potter’s wheel), traveling,
hanging out with my niece, playing tennis, playing my alto sax and swimming. My favorite
books are anything by Toni Morrison (especially Tar Baby and The Bluest Eye) and Salman
Rushdie (Haroun and the Sea Of Stories).
Carmen Johnston
Faculty
Carmen Johnston has a Bachelor's Degree in Liberal Studies and a Master's Degree in
English: Creative Writing. Both degrees are from San Francisco State University. Carmen
is the Coordinator for Change It Now!, the social justice learning community at Chabot
College and the co-lead for the Chabot Collaborative for Equity and Professional Growth.
She has a published book of poetry, Confessions of a B-Girl. She loves spending time
with family and friends, skateboarding and binging on various television shows. Her
favorite book is Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler because it shows what can
happen when people come together across difference backgrounds to make change. Carmen
is born and raised in the Bay Area: she grew up in the Silicon Valley and has lived
in Oakland for twenty three years.
Kristin Land
Faculty
I was born in Oakland, CA and raised across the tunnel in Pleasant Hill. I started
my college career at UC Santa Barbara where I discovered my interest in Chicana/o
Studies. After taking a year off of school, I transferred to UCLA, where I graduated
with as an American Literature Major with a Chicana/o Studies specialization. A few
years later, I earned a high school teaching credential and a master's degree in education
from UC Berkeley. With that degree, I taught at Tennyson High for 10 years before
coming to Chabot. I am passionate about supporting teachers to create student-centered
classrooms which is why I have been a Puente teacher and Bay Area Writing Project
(BAWP) Teacher Consultant for most of my career. Through Puente & BAWP, I have offered
professional development workshops in Ireland and all over the Bay Area. I enjoy encouraging
teachers to sustain a student-centered, social justice oriented curriculum, and I
love to learn new ways to improve my own teaching. One of my favorite books is Punished
by Victor Rios because he blends real student voices into his passionate plea for
educators to create a real pipeline of opportunity for all students. In my spare time,
you'll find me running flat trails or dancing at Rhythm and Motion classes. I also
enjoy learning to build things from my long-time partner who is involved in residential
remodeling.
Michael Langdon
Faculty
A native of North Carolina, I fell in love with the West Coast twenty-five years ago
and have lived here ever since. I have a bachelor’s degree in English from the University
of North Carolina at Charlotte, a paralegal certificate from Central Piedmont Community
College, a master’s degree in English from Portland State University, and a graduate
certificate in teaching composition from San Francisco State University. I have taught
at Chabot since 2005. In addition to teaching all of the courses in Chabot’s composition
sequence, I also teach English 31, Introduction to Gay and Lesbian Literature; English
41, World Literature; and English 37, Proofreading and Editing for College Writing.
My favorite author is E.M. Forster, whose novels I love for their humor, their humanity,
their focus on forming connections across cultural, national, racial, and class boundaries,
and their recognition of the ways that structural inequality can undermine those connections.
My favorites of his books are A Passage to India, Howards End, and Maurice, his underappreciated
gay masterpiece. I love travel, and in recent years, I have spent a lot of time exploring
Latin America. I have a blog about my Latin American travels: quebuenaonda.net. I
have also recently developed an interest in translating fiction from Spanish to English,
especially fiction by LGBTQ writers from Latin America. My translations have been
published in Queen Mob’s Tea House, Foglifter, and vozed. I live in Oakland with my
husband, Brad.
Angie Magallon
Faculty
I graduated from San Francisco State with a BA in Journalism and received my Masters
in English from Cal State Hayward. My classes generally introduce students to social
justice with a particular focus on immigration, the war on drugs and our prison system.
These topics help guide students to deeper, more personal discussions about resilience,
forgiveness, compassion and the tenacity of the human spirit.
Sean McFarland
Faculty
I have been teaching English at Chabot since 1991. In addition to my teaching responsibilities,
I am the coordinator of the Student Initiative Center (SIC). The SIC: assists students
working on group projects... supports clubs, programs, and communities developing
initiatives to improve campus and community... provides professional development to
teachers to incorporate PBL into their teaching... organizes and hosts events... promotes
collaboration among campus groups, community-based organizations, and citizens.
Clara McLean
Faculty
I grew up in the East Bay, went to Berkeley High and did my undergraduate work (in
anthropology) at UC Berkeley, later going on to earn an MA and Ph.D in English from
UC Irvine. Before coming to Chabot I worked in the nonprofit sector and taught at
Ohlone and Merritt colleges. I'm a published poet, a traveler, an amateur chef, a
hiker of many hills and strummer of a couple of stringed instruments. I'm passionate
about social justice. Teaching at Chabot is the most rewarding job I can imagine.
One of my favorite books in recent years is the novel Property by Valerie Martin,
a brilliant, devastating look inside the psychology of the oppressor in the historical
context of the US slave system.
Theresa Puckett
Faculty
Ms. Theresa (TJ) Puckett grew up in Albuquerque, NM, surrounded by chile, mountains,
and cowboys. She earned a BA in English and a BA in Sociology from New Mexico State
University before meandering over to Central Texas to earn an MFA in Creative Writing-Fiction
from Texas State University. In 1998 she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area where
she started teaching English at Chabot College. TJ continues to write fiction and
credits Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises as the book that made her want to become
a writer and Toni Morrison’s Beloved as the book that continues to make her want to
become a better writer. She spends her life away from Chabot taking urban walks, petting
strangers' dogs, running, and crossing international borders. She can often be found
sitting on park benches, staring into ponds.
Samantha Rajaram
Faculty
I am a former lawyer (UC Hastings College of Law) and hold a B.A. from UCLA in English
and an M.A. in English from the University of Pennsylvania. I also took certification
classes in composition at San Francisco State University. My focus in law school was
in human rights law and sex trafficking. When I am not in the classroom with my wonderful
and inspiring students at Chabot, I write historical fiction, raise three kids, and
practice Ashtanga yoga. I grew up as part of the only Indian family in Gillette, Wyoming,
and this fact greatly informs my teaching and desire to bring equity into my teaching.
Landon Smith
Faculty
I was born in Los Angeles, but moved to the Bay when I was 5, where I grew up. I attended
the University of Michigan - AA for undergrad, where I originally was accepted for
Engineering, but transferred to English Language Arts which is in what I earned my
BA. I worked in corporate for a while after, which provided me the opportunity to
live in many different cities. However, with my desire to start anew, I moved to China
to teach English - I lived there for two years. I came back to earn my MA in English
Literature and Languages from Mills College in Oakland, and have lived in Oakland
ever since. Before working at Chabot, I worked at both the high school and university
levels. My entire educational approach is centered around equity and social justice
- these are my passions not only in the classroom, but also outside, as well. When
I’m not in the classroom, catch me traveling the world, or indulging my artistic side
- mainly writing and performing poetry in the Bay and around the country, and commissioning
paintings. My favorite book is the graphic novel Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.
However, other books that changed my life are The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander,
When They Call You a Terrorist by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and Asha Bendele, and Pillars
of the Earth by Ken Follett. Oh, and: I’m eventually going to try and start a Best
Dressed Faculty Member Award so that I can win it every year.
Shoshanna Tenn
Faculty
I come from a family of proud public school teachers. In 1994, I earned my BA in English
from UCLA, with an emphasis in American studies. After that, I spent 9 months in Cuenca,
Ecuador, teaching English as a Foreign Language at the Institute for Inter-American
Studies, and completed an internship with a non-profit institute dedicated to supporting
indigenous women and children. I taught ESL at Cal State Northridge briefly, through
the Education Foundation, and then returned to the Bay Area to get my MA in English,
emphasis on literature. My Master's thesis focused on literature which explores women's
complicated relationship with the domestic sphere, particularly the kitchen. I taught
reading skills to students of all ages with the Institute for Reading Development,
and I began teaching at Chabot College in 2000. In 2010, I took a sabbatical to spend
a year in Oaxaca, Mexico teaching students at Benito Juarez University. My children
(now teenagers) still miss Oaxacan food and culture. I love helping students discover
their voice in writing, and I love teaching literature courses including Latinx Literature,
Contemporary U.S. Literature, Children's Literature, and Asian American Literature.
One of my favorite books is The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. It is beautiful,
haunting, and at times enormously painful story of a bewildering world, as seen through
the eyes of children whose lives are filled with love, but also shaped by societal
forces beyond their understanding.
Lisa Ulibarri
Faculty
Born and raised in the East Bay, I was a student and tutor at Chabot College. The
time that I spent as a student at Chabot was an invaluable experience that shaped
my entire future. After earning my AA at Chabot, I transferred to UC Berkeley and
received my BA in English. I went on to earn my MA in English from CSU East Bay (then
CSU Hayward). I also hold a Certificate in Online Teaching as well as completion of
an Advanced Teaching and Learning Online program and the Canvas mastery training series.
I am also a certified Peer Online Course Reviewer (POCR) for the CCC Online Education
Initiative. I have a passion for using technology, online teaching and free open educational
resources (OER) to make education more accessible and affordable for all students.
One favorite book that I like to teach is The Lucifer Effect by Phillip Zimbardo.
The Lucifer Effect evokes a new perspective on the power of situational forces and
commands the reader to consider the nature of "evil" actions. Students often relate
to the various concepts presented in Zimbardo's book, which leads to lively and impassioned
class discussions.
Monique Williams
Faculty
Monique Williams is from Hayward, California and graduated from Chabot College. She
then went on to Mills College and received a BA in English. After working at Chabot
College for two-years, she returned to school and earned a MA in English from SFSU.
In Graduate School, Monique became involved in the production of several literary
journal and later became the editor of Fourteen Hills, Red Light Lit, and Foglifter.
She is currently a board member for the the Foglifter publication, which is a queer
literary journal and press. Helping people from her hometown accomplish their goals
is her true passion and she is grateful for her position at Chabot College.
Alisa Yungerman
Faculty
Alisa Yungerman received her B.A. from U.C. Berkeley and an M.F.A. from New York University.
She graduated with Highest Honors and received Phi Beta Kappa from U.C. Berkeley,
and was awarded a writing fellowship while attending New York University. Before joining
the Chabot faculty, Alisa was writer-in-residence at the Vermont Studio Center. Alisa
loves teaching and her students, but away from school, spends her time enjoying her
family and the beautiful East Bay. Favorite book: The God of Small Things, by Arundhati
Roy.
Stephanie Zappa (Retired--But Chabot Forever!)
Faculty
I was hired at Chabot in January of 1997 as a part-timer, when I was still teaching
high school in Oakland. I got my dream job in August of 1999 when I was hired full-time
at Chabot. I am still grateful for that, and Chabot remains my second home. The students
and fellow faculty here are a rich and exceptional community, and I continue to learn
from all of you every day. I’m a fiction writer, a flamenco dancer, yoga-practitioner,
wife, mother, Nana, and lover of dogs. I challenge students because I believe people
achieve when they stretch, when a teacher asks them to reach. One of my favorite books
is Toni Morrison's Sula.