Michelle Blair
English Professor, Filmmaker, Performer
Students Speak: Voices from San Jose City College
Every student has a story to tell.
In Students Speak: Voices from San Jose City College, Professor Michelle Blair brings the tradition of oral storytelling to the page, spotlighting the courage and perseverance of nine community college students who overcame adversity along their non-traditional educational journeys. Those finding themselves wondering whether or not they have what it takes to face the challenges in front of them will find inspiration to take the next right step.
Author Bio
Michelle Blair has been a professor of English at San Jose City College since 1999. She began her teaching career in New York in 1990, at State University of New York at Purchase. She holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honors in English, with a minor in Film, from State University of New York at Purchase; and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, with a minor in Translation, from Columbia University.
At SJCC, she co-founded the Reading and Writing Center’s Peer Tutor Program and developed its tutor certificate program. She created the popular Memoir writing class, and established a semi-annual creative writing anthology. In 2010-11, she received the award for “Most Outstanding Instructor of the Year” from the SJCC student body. With her 35-years-and-counting teaching experience, she is considered a mentor to students and faculty alike.
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Michelle has produced and directed several documentaries, including Inside Out: Stories of Bulimia and The People’s College; written and performed a one-person show, Awake; and published stories and essays in national journals. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her daughter. In her free time, she likes to write, see theatre and film, dance, and DJ.
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Students Speak: Voices from San Jose City College is the culmination of her sabbatical projects of 2015-2016 and 2022-2023.