Even in so-called realist or conventional writing there can be defamiliarization.

In my short stories there's a lot of focus on people successfully and not successfully responding to some sorts of discomforts or instabilities.

There's relief in white space for the reader.

Another obligation that I have as a teacher is to make available to students a range of options and devices and approaches, rather than saying "well here's one way to do it and that's the only way that's good."

In general, teaching writing makes me a far better reader because there's so many ways to write a good sentence or a good story, and as a teacher I'm obliged to consider them all, rather than staying in the safety of my own tendencies.

In my writing classes, I don't outlaw any genre writing.

Portland is a pretty magnificent place to live.