Amanda Leigh Passmore-Ott

Professional Bio

Amanda Passmore-Ott has taught English for Penn State since 2005, first at PSU Altoona and then for University Park, World Campus, and Continuing Education. Classes taught include Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric and Composition & Freshman Seminar: Censorship in America, Writing in the Social Sciences: Ethnography, Writing in the Social Sciences: Research Design and Implementation, Writing in the Social Sciences: Research Study Design, Introduction to Creative Writing, Intro to Article Writing, Adventure Literature, and Intro to J.R.R Tolkien.  She is also faculty adviser for the PSU Irish Dance group, Rince na Leon.

Amanda lives in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania with her husband, three cats, and Siberian Husky. Her poems can be found in such journals as Tiny Seed Literary Journal, Blueline: A literary Magazine Dedicated to the Spirit of the Adirondacks, Albatross, Wavelength, and Calliope: A Journal of Women’s Literature and Art. Her chapbook, Human Wilderness, was released in spring 2024 by Finishing Line Press. Amanda’s work often speaks to the juxtaposition of the human condition and an indifferent natural world which she experiences through hiking and travelling. In addition to teaching and writing, Amanda also plays violin in the Celtic rock band, Full Kilt, which has also taken her abroad to Ireland several times. When not in the classroom or at the writing desk, she often can be found hiking with her Siberian Husky, Onoko. The mountains speak to her and, whenever possible, she answers.