A writer and storyteller based in Cologne, Germany, Courtney Tenz was born in the USA (like Springsteen). She has an MFA from Penn State and was awarded a Fulbright grant to Germany in 2005. Her writing on the arts, culture, and women’s rights has appeared in Harper’s Bazaar, The Cut, The Guardian, Romper, Artsy, Washington Post, Marie Claire, Artsy, The Art Newspaper, Fodor’s Travel, StudyHallXYZ, Time Out, and more. A communications expert, she consults brands across Europe on their English language content and social strategies. Courtney writes in English but is fluent in German.
Writer.
Courtney studied fiction writing with Charlotte Holmes and David Treuer. Amitava Kumar taught her everything she knows about cultural theory and travel writing. Her nonfiction essay writing has benefited from workshops with Julia Kasdorf. She was a participant at Breadloaf in fiction workshops with Helen Shulman and Ben Percy.
Speaker.
Dedicated to class, race, and gender equality, Courtney has spoken and lectured on US politics and culture in both the US and Germany. She coordinated a presentation at AWP on the ethics of writing about class issues which featured authors Ru Freeman and Ta-Nehisi Coates. In November 2016, she took part in a panel discussion on the impact of the US election. At the University of Bonn, Courtney taught North American history, culture, and politics to English majors.
Storyteller.
Trained in creative writing pedagogy using the tenets of teaching as a form of liberation as ascribed by bell hooks, Courtney has led workshops in fiction and creative writing for both beginners and advanced students. A brand content strategist and consultant, Courtney has also developed university courses on storytelling for branding purposes. She has taught academic writing and research for university students whose first language is not English.
Due to current restrictions on travel, at the moment, she is available for online and video lessons and consultations only. Send an email via the contact page to set up an appointment.