Email jcmaher at aol.com
Education
1997 Ph. D., Interdisciplinary Studies: Theater, Education, and Neuroscience, The Union Institute and University, Cincinnati, OH
1988 Teaching Certification, 4-12, Language Arts, Social Studies and Drama, Seattle University, Seattle, WA
1988 M.A., English Literature, Millersville University of Pennsylvania, Millersville, PA
1969 B. A., Humanities, The New School for Social Research, New York, NY
Employment
2007-present Adjunct Lecturer, Departments of Literacy Education and Gender & Women’s Studies. Plattsburgh State University, Plattsburgh, NY. Teach courses in writing, multicultural education, feminist theater, gender and women’s studies.
1990-present Co-director, Local Access. Design and implement arts-in-education projects; design integrated curriculum; teach playwriting, creative writing, and directing; conduct in-service programs and workshops for educators, parents and students.
2003-2006 Instructor, Antioch University Seattle. Designed and delivered course content in social studies, curriculum & instruction, theories of learning & human development, field research.
1999-2004 Instructor, Administrator, Heritage College Master In Teaching Program. Designed and delivered course content in social studies, language arts, arts, integrated curriculum methods, collegial team building, and theories of human development & learning; supervised student teaching interns and masters candidates.
2000-2002 Coordinated Seattle-area programs, advised students, recruited and trained staff.
1994-1999 Instructor, Western Washington University Urban Teacher Education Program. Designed and delivered course content in social studies, arts, and effective teaching methods.
1991-1998 Guest Instructor, Seattle University. Presented drama-in-education component for integrated arts retreat, Masters in Teaching program.
1988-1989 Teacher, Seattle Public Schools. Taught secondary language arts and drama, Nathan Hale and Roosevelt High Schools.
1984-1987 Teacher, Seattle Public Schools. Taught secondary drama and language arts, Summit K-12.
1973-1984 Teacher, Artist-in-Residence, Theatrical Producer/Director. Taught language arts, drama, writing and social studies in schools and community centers, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Washington. Produced and directed plays in professional,semi-professional and educational settings.
1979-1980 Guest instructor, Play Production. Seattle Central Community College, Seattle, WA. Instructor, Playwriting, Seattle Theater Arts, Seattle, WA.
1977-1978 Executive Director, Afro-Hispanic Cultural Institute, Lancaster, PA. Supervised staff of five; developed and produced cultural and educational programs for multicultural community organization.
1974-1977 Executive Director, Performing Arts Workshop at the Market District Theater, Lancaster, PA. Produced and directed plays in semi-professional community theater. Directing credits include An Evening of Ionesco One Acts, Look Back in Anger, A Raisin in the Sun, and The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds.
Publications
2006 Most Dangerous Women: Bringing History to Life through Readers’ Theater, Heinemann. Portsmouth, NH
Ralph Bunche: The Odyssey Continues. A teacher’s guide and resource materials to accompany a series of twelve video modules narrated by Sidney Poitier. William Greaves Productions. New York, NY
2004 Don’t Privatize Public Schools. Op ed. Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Jan. 8. Seattle, WA
2003 History in the Present Tense: Engaging Students through Inquiry and Action. Co-authored with Douglas Selwyn, published by Heinemann. Portsmouth, NH
A Wealth of Wisdom: Growing Up Nigger Rich by Gwendolyn Fortune. Book review, The Raven Chronicles, Vol. 10, 3. Seattle, WA
2000 Heaven, Indiana. Novel, published by Dog Hollow Press. Seattle, WA
Towards Informed, Compassionate Democracies. Article, Democracy & Education, 13, 4. Athens, OH
1998 Northwest Multicultural Labor History: a curriculum developed in collaboration with and published by the King County Labor Council Workers Center. Seattle, WA
1997 Descartes’ Grave. Play, in Night of 1,000 Playwrights. Rain City Projects, Seattle, WA
1996 Oh Honey, poem, Women Who Write Too Much, Local Access. Seattle, WA
It’s a Miller Girl Thing, personal essay, Women Who Write Too Much, Local Access, Seattle, WA
1995 Breaking the Silence: The Japanese Experience in America: a curriculum co-authored with Nikki Nojima Louis. Local Access, Seattle, WA
Widow’s Walk. Play, technique, Lexington, KY
Maps, short fiction, Women Who Write Too Much, Local Access. Seattle, WA
1992 Intruders and Ismene. Plays, Rain City Projects, Seattle, WA
1991-1993 African Americans, Southeast Asian Americans, Native Americans, Mexican Americans, Japanese Americans, Irish Americans (co-authored with Douglas Selwyn): workbooks in multicultural studies. Educational Design, Inc., New York, NY
1991 The Case for Arts in Education, essay, Seattle Arts, reprinted in Puget Soundings. Seattle, WA
1988 birds and cats, poem, Bellowing Ark. Seattle, WA
twice i am and the muses, poems, Creek Reflections. Seattle, WA
1978 times tables, poem, Lancaster Independent Press, Lancaster, PA
1977 Fragging, play, Dramatika, Vol. 10, #1, 19, New York, NY
1974 Countdown, personal essay, Lancaster Independent Press, Lancaster, PA
Representative Projects and Residencies
Northwest Heritage Resources, Seattle, WA: developed teachers’ materials to support online database of traditional artists in Washington State.
SUMMIT K-12, and Seattle Girls’ School, Seattle, WA: guest director for middle-school productions of Most Dangerous Women.
NOVA High School, Seattle, WA: consulted with humanities teacher in development of integrated curriculum project looking at models of human societies throughout history through literature, drama, visual arts, physics, biology, environmental science, psychology, sociology, and anthropology.
New Options Theater Project: scriptwriter, producer, director, and moderator of interactive theater project touring Seattle-area high schools addressing issues of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and relationship violence.
NOVA High School, Seattle, WA: co-authored and implemented semester-long award-winning arts-based curriculum for secondary students focused on the Japanese American experience from immigration through redress.
Seattle Public Schools: developed and presented “The Neurobiology of Addiction,” an interactive unit for high school students on substance abuse.
Seattle Public Schools: produced and scripted Sexual Harassment in Seattle Public Schools, training video for school district personnel and students.
Cleveland High School, Seattle, WA: worked with language arts, business education, special education, social studies and drama students and teachers to present pilot project based on Northwest Multicultural Labor History curriculum. Worked with drama students and teacher to research, script, and perform a documentary play based on the WTO meetings in Seattle.
Decatur Elementary School, Seattle, WA: designed and implemented a drama and music residency focused on conflict resolution, culminating in What Am I Supposed to Do?, all-school performance assembly featuring six classrooms.
Nathan Hale High School, Seattle, WA: designed and implemented a creative writing and drama residency focused on involving Asian American and African American students in after-school drama programs culminating in Where We’re Coming From, a student-written musical.
Hawthorne Elementary School, Seattle, WA: part of artist-in-residence team for The Art of Hokusai, a residency culminating in the production of a video documentary created and narrated by students.
Seattle Community Colleges: scripted, directed, and produced 2001: A Planning Odyssey, video for staff development/training.
New Options Middle School, Washington Middle School, and B.F. Day Elementary School, Seattle, WA: Who Are These People in the Streets? Part of artist-in-residence team that designed and implemented a residency culminating in the production of a student-written and designed theater piece on the topic of homelessness.
City University: designed and taught Acting Across the Curriculum, drama-in-education course offered for undergraduate and graduate credit.
Seattle Public Schools: worked as member of curriculum development teams for Crossroads Seattle, a project to restructure Seattle Public Schools World History courses; edited all materials developed for World History I and II.
Vermont Council on the Arts: worked as “outreach poet,” developing and implementing creative writing residencies in schools and community agencies.
Performances and Presentations
2009 Directed excerpt of Most Dangerous Women, presented by Gender & Women’s Studies students as part of Fifth Annual Peace & Social Justice Conference, State University of New York at Plattsburgh.
2008 Western Association of Women Historians Annual Conference. Presented “Powerful Words: Oral History in the Theater.”
2007 Museum of History and Industry and Seattle Girls’ School, Seattle. Directed student production of Most Dangerous Women.
2006 World Affairs Council, Seattle, WA. In-service for teachers based in Most Dangerous Women: Bringing History to Life through Readers’ Theater.
Jeannette Rankin Peace Center, Missoula, MT. Reading/discussion of Most Dangerous Women: Bringing History to Life through Readers’ Theater.
Washington State Council for the Social Studies Spring Retreat: “Bringing History to Life through Readers’ Theater.”
2005 Washington State Council for the Social Studies Spring Retreat, Chelan, WA. Most Dangerous Women, keynote presentation.
2003 Aurora Chorus, Portland, OR. Most Dangerous Women: A Musical Documentary of the International Women’s Peace Movement.
2000, 2002 Cardinal Stritch University and University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, Most Dangerous Women: A Musical Documentary of the International Women’s Peace Movement.
1999 Washington State Council for the Social Studies Spring Retreat: “Creating Readers’ Theater in Social Studies Classrooms.”
Puget Sound Writers Project Reunion, Antioch University. (Co-presented, with Douglas Selwyn.) Using theater to explore elements of story.
1998 National Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference, Anaheim, CA: “Making History Work” (Co-presented with Douglas Selwyn.) Teaching labor history.
1998 Washington State Council for the Social Studies Spring Retreat: “Labor History.”
1997 National Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference, Cincinnati, OH: Breaking the Silence: Voices of Three Generations of Japanese Americans.
1995 National Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference, Chicago, IL: Most Dangerous Women: A Musical Documentary of the International Women’s Peace Movement.
1994 National Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference, Phoenix, AZ: “Inhabiting History.”
1993-1995 Women Who Write Too Much, writers-in-performance. Staged readings for Jane Doe Theater Festival, North Seattle Community College, Seattle Fringe Theatre Festival, Voices from the Fringe (Seattle, WA); Sou’wester Lodge (Seaview, WA).
1989-91 Keynote addresses, Seattle University Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership annual arts retreats.
Current Professional Affiliations
National Council of Teachers of English
National Writers Union
Past Professional Affiliations and Community Service
Member, National Council for the Social Studies
Member, International Reading Association
Board Member, New City Theater, Seattle, WA
Board Member, New Beginnings (Shelter & support for battered women)
Northwest Playwrights’ Guild
References
Available upon request.
