"Jamie pushed my creative writing in a way that it has never, ever been pushed. I felt so much more aware of my own writing style and techniques after taking her classes, and each story I wrote was accompanied by her own evaluation and critique that was always as intelligent and thorough as a literary analysis. Jamie takes each students’ written work seriously. She will never discredit an author’s imagination, and she always finds little golden nuggets of brilliance that the author herself might not have fully realized. Because of this, anybody taking Jamie’s class can expect to discover and hone their own creative strengths while also chipping away at their potential writing weaknesses. And if it’s any further consolation, before I first took a writing class from Jamie, I had published one short story. Now, after taking her classes, I have published nine. Although these stories weren’t necessarily ones I had written for Jamie’s classes, they were absolutely, undoubtedly a result of her inclusive discussions, considerate commentary, insightful readings, and teachings on skill sets needed for successful creative writing. "

— Mariah Montoya-Hardin, student since 2016