A faculty profile on Cecelia Rosenow
By Amanda Fallon
Cecelia Rosenow is an instructor with 40 years of experience doing what she loves: Haiku and teaching.Twenty-two of those years have been right here at Lane Community College.
From the classroom, both as a student and then an instructor then to being published multiple times, Rosenow has accomplished what many of us wish we could.
Rosenow says that the students she works with inspire her and have helped with her commitment to LCC. She started in 2004 as a part-time instructor, in 2015 she was offered a full time position. She also is one of the faculty coordinators for the Honors Program here at LCC.
She provides students with encouragement and awareness of opportunities they may have, and challenges the students to become more well rounded individuals. Coordinating the Honors Program has been a great personal accomplishment for her.
As a senior in college at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California, Rosenow was producing a poetry program on the college radio station. She had two guest speakers from San Francisco, California. These guests introduced her to contemporary English haiku. From there the rest is history.
Rosenow had difficulties at first finding publishers for her very specific field of research. She had to find a way to juggle research, writing and teaching without getting lost along the way. She managed to further her writing career, by being published multiple times on one hand, the other hand she has managed a very successful career at LCC. She takes great pride in not having to compromise either endeavor.
Her newest publication is Japanese Forms in American Poetry, and she said, “The book came out in February and I’m so excited that it’s finally in print! There is scholarship on English-language haiku; however, there is very little scholarship on English-language versions of other Japanese poetic forms and no scholarship arguing that these forms have also become established parts of American poetry. This book addresses that gap in the scholarship. ”
While on a sabbatical she wrote the manuscript for a book tentatively titled Haiku and Well-being: The Poetics of Robert Epstein She feels that this manuscript best matches her own voice.
Rosenow says that being able to think outside of the box. There are areas that can lead to a mass of careers and a full life, they are just not always obvious.
Perspectives evolve over time. Rosenow has learned to make assumptions about students and their situations. Now, she meets them where they are at and able to better meet their needs. When it comes to her writing, “I write because I love it and I want to make a contribution to my field.”
Teaching, writing and contributing to the literary community are like medicine for her soul. Without one of those key elements she recognizes that she is not at her peak performance.
Her family brings her the most fulfillment outside of her work. They have also been major influences and supporters of her work, as well as her friends and mentors.
When Rosenow speaks of the future, she wishes to stay in the present moment and says, “I still haven’t found anything close to balance,” and “I do not want to be working so much that I miss time with my family.”
Don’t give up, look for opportunities at LCC; try as many as you can. See where it goes. Above all, trust yourself and have confidence in yourself. These are words of guidance and encouragement from Rose now to the LCC student body.
She added, “I would like to thank Lane’s students for all they contribute to this college.”
