I was called Michelle Garofolo as I grew up, living in Modesto and attending Davis High School and then Modesto Junior College.  I earned a B.A. in English from University of California, Davis and then attended California State University, Sacramento for an M.A. in English.  In graduate school I became interested in myth criticism, and my master’s thesis was a mythic analysis of The Lord of the Rings.

I returned to MJC to teach in 1979.  I teach all levels of composition, as well as Children’s Literature and the Introduction to Fiction course. My English 50 level textbook Growing Ideas has recently been published by Houghton Mifflin.

When I am not grading papers, I am reading novels, collecting antique linens and British china, gardening, or doing calligraphy. I am married to fellow English instructor Eric Christopherson, and together we read books, listen to music, drink tea, play bocce, and enjoy our cats Emily and Beatrix.

I became an English teacher because I have always loved to read more than anything else in the world, and I wanted to talk to other people about books.  Following is a list of some of my favorites: