Rus VanWestervelt received his undergraduate degree from Towson University and, more recently, his Masters of Fine Arts degree in Creative Nonfiction from Goucher College.
He has been teaching at Towson University (Maryland) for over 10 years; in addition, he has taught at Centennial High School in Ellicott City for 8 years and has been working with students for over 20 years in middle, high school, undergraduate, and graduate programs throughout the state of Maryland, specializing in English, writing, publications, photography, and theater. As a Teacher-Consultant with the Maryland Writing Project, he has been trained to work with teachers and writers in finding creative and strategic ways to infuse writing into any curriculum, specializing in metacognitive approaches to the teaching of writing.
Outside of teaching, Rus writes daily, publishing both fiction and creative nonfiction in local and regional publications, such as Baltimore’s Urbanite Magazine. He is currently working on his third novel, Cold Rock, which will be released summer 2010.
Rus is the founder of three organizations: Maryland Voices, Ravenwater Press, and Lines of Love.
Maryland Voices is a publication established in 2001 and now in its eighth volume. Maryland Voices publishes creative nonfiction written by Maryland's high school writers. For more information about Maryland Voices and how you can get involved (and published), please follow the link on our navigation bar.
Ravenwater Press is a small publisher that seeks to print works by local and regional authors who are interested in making a difference with their writing. Ravenwater's first title, I'm Still Trying To Figure It All Out Myself, by Larry Cohen, was released November 2009.
Lines of Love is a non-profit foundation established to help teens struggling with depression and anxiety. Lines serves as a bridge between those teens and the services currently available.
Rus is available for speaking engagements and workshops in writing, publishing, and helping teens struggling with depression. Contact him directly at theoldmanse@gmail.com or at 443-834-9489.