Joshua David Bellin, a La Roche College professor, is currently teaching literature and composition. He is a teacher at the school for 16 years. His students are mostly English or writing majors but there are also undergraduates from psychology, interior design and criminal justice majors.
They take his course because it is a basic requirement. Which often means that not a lot are fond of writing. And some students express frustration because they are unable to shape their thoughts and translate it into text.
According to Bellin, that is the nature of writing, as reported by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Bellin shares his own struggles. His background includes writing two 80,000 word horror stories. But his editor asked him to make it into one book. That was a struggle for him.
He shows students how he writes his early drafts and how it becomes a finished product. He encourages them to write and to never give up. And in order to do that, he uses his own science fiction literature as a tool. His College Writing 1 course includes "Survival Colony 9." It also includes titles such as "The Odyssey." In particular, he likes to talk about monsters and creatures.
His students ask him how he gets the inspiration while some ask him about the publishing business. According to Danielle DiNatale, who is majoring in journalism and professional writing, he has helped her develop her thoughts and helped ease her frustration.
Although his works are mostly about a dystopian future, Bellin uses his work to give students an up-close look at a career in writing. He did so during a panel discussion where he uses his science fiction expertise during a fantasy writing workshop, as reported by the Daily Reporter.
Joshua David Bellin has an undergraduate degree in English from the Wesleyan University and holds a doctoral degree in the same discipline from the University of Pennsylvania.
Watch Joshua David Bellin's cover reveal of "Survival Colony 9" below:
