Bronson Lemer, M.F.A. (he/him)

Learning is a process of discovery. Through lectures, reading and discussion, students begin to see the world in new ways. I believe students possess an innate capacity for critical thinking, and my role as an educator is to help them recognize and refine those skills. I encourage students to explore the potential of writing as a tool for expressing thoughts, emotions, opinions and identity.

My research explores how creative writing and composition can build meaningful connections within communities, both large and small. I’m especially interested in how writing expresses thought, emotion, opinion and identity in shared spaces. Areas of focus include reflective writing, creative nonfiction, memoir writing, literary journalism, first-year composition, Ungrading assessment practices and community-based writing.

Selected Academic Publications

• Ubbesen, M., Bruenger, A., & Lemer, B. “Accessible Ungrading.” Pedagogy: Journal of English Language Teaching, vol. 24, no. 3, 2024, pp. 357–371. https://doi.org/10.1215/15314200-11246287
• Taniguchi, Y., Bruenger, A., Lemer, B., & Wacek, J. “Reflection for Health Literacies in the Health Science Curriculum.” In Michael Madson, ed., Composing Health Literacies, Routledge, 2023.
• Metzger, K., Wright, J., Erdmann, R., Lemer, B., & Olson, R. “Mileage May Vary: How Sense of Community in First-Year Seminars Varies Across Student Identities and Modes of Instruction.” Journal of the First-Year Experience & Students in Transition, vol. 34, no. 2, 2022, pp. 27–46.

Books

• The Lonely Veteran’s Guide to Companionship. University of Wisconsin Press, April 2025.
• The Last Deployment: How a Gay, Hammer-Swinging Twentysomething Survived a Year in Iraq. University of Wisconsin Press, June 2011.

Selected Creative Writing Publications

• “Over There,” The Iowa Review, Spring 2025.
• “Finish Line,” Avidly, Aug. 30, 2022.
• “Stalactites,” Neon Door, Feb. 28, 2022.
• “How to Reintegrate,” Creative Nonfiction, Winter 2022.
• “Withers,” Big Muddy, Fall 2021.
• “Breathe In,” Guernica, Nov. 29, 2021.
• “You Think I’m a Boy,” Permafrost, 2021.
• “Thirst & Trap,” Hobart, June 2, 2021.
• “Chameleon Boy,” Queer Voices: Prose, Poetry & Pride, May 2019.
• “Battle Buddy,” The Southeast Review, Fall 2018.

Selected Presentations, Discussions and Appearances

• “Writers Recommend,” contributor, Poets & Writers, June 25, 2025.
• “The Power of Queer Stories: A Panel with LGBTQIA+ Authors,” panelist, Western Governors University, June 23, 2025.
• “Silent Battles: Mental Health & Military Service,” contributor, Call to Mind, American Public Media, May 23, 2025.
• “Scintillating Prisms: A Light Literary Reading,” presenter, St. Paul, May 3, 2025.
• “Minnesota Author Event,” featured presenter, Garden Party Books, Rochester, Minn., April 17, 2025.
• “The Lonely Veteran’s Guide to Companionship Launch,” featured presenter, Magers & Quinn, Minneapolis, April 8, 2025.
• “Afterwards: Veteran Writers Reflect on Reintegration, Mental Health, and Healing,” moderator and panelist, Association of Writers & Writing Programs Conference, Los Angeles, March 2025.
• “Examining Military Service From the Margins,” discussion leader:
  • Quatrefoil Library, Minneapolis, Jan. 2025
  • Winona County Historical Society, Winona, Minn., Nov. 2024
  • Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (virtual), April 2025
• “Examining Military Service From the Margins,” panelist, Minnesota State Network for Educational Development Teaching and Learning Conference, St. Paul, Sept. 2024.
• “Longleaf Fellows Reading,” presenter, Longleaf Writers Conference, Seaside, Fla., May 12, 2024.
• “Ungrading as Feminist Pedagogy,” panelist, Women’s and Gender Studies Consortium, Madison, Wis., April 2024.
• “Queer Military Intersections,” virtual presenter, Employee Resource Group Diversity and Inclusion Week, Fox Broadcasting, Oct. 2023.
• “Ungrading as Anti-abelist and Anti-racist Assessment,” panelist, International Writing Across the Curriculum Conference, Clemson, S.C., June 2023.
• “Removing the Camouflage: Queer and Trans Military Voices Speak Out,” moderator and panelist, Association of Writers & Writing Programs Conference, Seattle, March 2023.
• “In Praise of Praise: Do Young Writers Need Encouragement Now More Than Ever?” panelist, Association of Writers & Writing Programs Conference, Seattle, March 2023.
• “Evaluating Anew: Accessible Assessment Across Writing Spaces and Programs,” panelist, Conference on College Composition and Communication, Chicago, Feb. 2023.
• “Midstream Reading Series,” presenter, Minneapolis, Dec. 12, 2019.
• “History Revealed: Queer Voices Reading,” presenter, East Side Freedom Library, St. Paul, Aug. 1, 2019.
• “On the Offensive: Writing Queer for a Straight Audience,” panelist, Association of Writers & Writing Programs Conference, Portland, March 2019.

• Second place, Jeff Sharlet Memorial Award for Veterans, The Iowa Review, 2024
• Longleaf CNF Fellowship Award, Longleaf Writers Conference, 2024
• Creative Individuals grant recipient, Minnesota State Arts Board, 2024
• Granum Prize longlist, Granum Foundation, 2023
• Tin House Summer Workshop participant, 2020
• McKnight Writing Fellowship, McKnight Foundation, 2019
• Notable essay for “Battle Buddy,” The Best American Essays, 2019
• Residency, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, 2018