Lyz Duesterhoeft

Graduate Teaching Assistant

Creative Writing: Literary criticism through the lenses of the liminal and folklore; approaching fandom through folklore & ethnography; creative writing pedagogy through the fantasy genre

Lyz received her Bachelors of Arts with Honors in English Literature, along with a minor in Folkore & Mythology, from George Mason University in 2023. The culminating work of her degree produced a thesis on examining what the fantasy genre can bring to undergraduate creative writing pedagogy. Notably, one of her ethnographic papers on pseudonym use in fandom spaces won The Margaret Yocom Folklore Prize in 2021.

She then received her MFA in Fiction from George Mason University in 2026. Her short story, "Undertow," won a Mary Roberts Rinehart Award in 2021, and she is the author of the self-published title, Red Iron Alchemy.

Throughout her academic journey, she has worked closely with peers from a variety of disciplines to help cross boundaries and bridge gaps between Humanities and STEM fields.

Current Research

Currently working on a standalone soft science fiction novel exploring community resiliency, death, and hope in a near-future setting.

Selected Publications

"The Call," a short story published in The Literary Hatchet, issue #39, July 2025.

Expanded Publication List

“Impact of a Workshop with Visualization and Ethics Discussion on Awareness of Flood Risk and Intent to Protect.” Julia Hathaway, et al., published 2025. DOI: 10.1175/WCAS-D-24-0092.1

"Risk Perception and Preparation for Storm Surge Flooding: A Virtual Workshop with Visualization and Stakeholder Interaction." Brian Colle, et al., published 2023. DOI: 10.1175/BAMS-D-22-0145.1

"Categorizing Professionals' Perspectives on Environmental Communication with Implications for Graduate Education." Karen L. Akerlof, et al., published 2021. DOI: 10.1080/17524032.2020.1862890

Courses Taught

ENGH 101 Composition
ENGH 201 Writing About Texts
ENGH 396 Intro to Creative Writing
ENGH 398 Fiction Writing