Teacher Feature: Ben Jackson
Winter 2026
Tell us about your journey as a writer. When did you first start writing, and how did you come to publishing and teaching?
I started writing at about ten when my parents were out at political organizing meetings, and I was home alone with my mother’s huge manual typewriter. I loved reading and writing book reports for school. I always had an interest in teaching and went from K-12 to adult learners, from the county jail to Skyline College. I became interested in publishing while in grad school at San Francisco State University– before that, I didn’t give it much thought.
In addition to your teaching at The Writing Salon, you taught at Skyline Community College for many years, and also worked with California Poets in the Schools. Is it fair to say that teaching is an important aspect of your identity as a writer? How has teaching changed, deepened, or expanded your work?
Teaching in various settings with diverse populations (incarcerated people, adults with learning disabilities, students in under-resourced high schools, and kindergartners up to community college students) has provided a source of income and a deep well of satisfaction. I’m lucky to be able to share what I continue to learn as a writer with my students.
