John Piller

As a writer, meditator, and jazz fan, I value creativity, focused attention, and spontaneity—qualities that shape both my scholarship and my teaching. My work explores the power of language, memory, and story to shape how we understand ourselves and one another. In the classroom, I strive to create a supportive space where students feel invited to ask bold questions, explore new ideas, and engage deeply with texts, stories, and each other. My inquiry-based approach encourages students to discover meaning through dialogue, thoughtful debate, and reflection—always grounded in curiosity and care. I love exploring the stories people tell, the way one story can be told in multiple ways, and how a story we tell may change over time. Through the Engagements experience, I hope to help students grow as scholars and people—open to complexity, attuned to nuance, and reflective about their place in the world. Ultimately, I strive to embody Mary Oliver’s “instructions for living a life”: “Pay attention, be absorbed, tell me about it.”