By Jasmine Durst and Hannah Matriccino
Susquehanna University’s Writers’ Institute warmly welcomes the expertise of two Visiting Assistant Professors of Creative Writing this fall: Dr. Apoorva Bradshaw-Mittal and Dr. Sean Ironman.
Dr. Apoorva Bradshaw-Mittal (pronouns: they/them) comes from Ohio University and has taught since 2019. They will be teaching full-time for SU’s 2025-2026 academic year, and their classes include introductory fiction, advanced fiction, and ENG 265: Form of the Short Story.
Before SU, they taught fiction and several types of college writing at the undergraduate and graduate levels, such as first-year writing, research writing, and technical/business writing.
Dr. Bradshaw-Mittal went to Delhi Technological University for a bachelor’s in software engineering, graduating in 2015. They went for their MFA at Sarah Lawrence College in 2017 and recently earned their Ph.D. from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2023. They have also taken language classes in Russian and French, but claim they are still practically a mere bilingual, switching between Hindi and English. They said, “Sometimes, to make my life easier, I simply use Hinglish.”
When asked what their favorite part of SU was, Dr. Bradshaw-Mittal answered, “My favorite part is the people—the students, the faculty, the staff. Within a few weeks, I feel so welcomed by everyone. Paraphrasing my colleague, Dr. Glen Retief, there is a sweetness to life here at SU.”
In the creative nonfiction realm, multiple classes welcome Dr. Sean Ironman for the 2025-2026 academic year. Dr. Ironman was drawn to the university for two main reasons: Susquehanna’s creative writing program is not only serious but fosters ingenuity, and Susquehanna supports creative writing students by offering the opportunity to write for literary journals, such as the Apprentice Writer.
After just a few weeks of classes, Dr. Ironman notes that the academics are not all that makes Susquehanna University stand out from other schools. Both faculty and students have made Dr. Ironman feel welcomed and supported. Dr. Ironman states that, at times, other universities fail to create an inviting environment, instead making it seem as though visiting professors are meant to teach classes and then leave. Dr. Ironman also lists the school’s scenery as one of Susquehanna’s greatest qualities. He likes to bike around the beautiful campus and jokes that it is “small enough not to get lost in.”
While Dr. Ironman wants to enjoy his time at Susquehanna, he also hopes to have an impact on the students. Dr. Ironman wants his creative writing students to “understand that the most important tool they have as a writer is their own uniqueness.” His goal highlights the creative writing department’s desire for originality and individual expression.
The English and writing departments are thrilled to welcome these professors and enrich students’ experiences. The impact Dr. Ironman and Dr. Bradshaw-Mittal will have on their students is sure to be a positive one, and SU hopes to give these professors an enjoyable time on our campus.