jason brandt schaefer
creative writer • book editor • educator
cV & publications
With advanced degrees in English and creative writing, significant experience in professional writing, publishing, and education, and a growing list of creative credits, Jason Brandt is not only an accomplished musician, but also a university-level instructor of writing, literature, and American culture.
creative publications
Jason’s creative work is interested in themes and narratives about the outdoors, family, music, deep time, and the nature of belief, often blending genres and art forms for interdisciplinary and hybrid products including upmarket fiction, prose poetry, lyric essay, and text-based visual art.
“Four Concrete Poems” forthcoming in TYPO Journal 15, 2026
“Education in the Age of Ignorance” Screaming at America Anthology Vol. 3, June 2026
“Polished” The Palisades Review, May 2026
“Ambition Blues” Twenty Bellows: Welcoming the Muse, January 2025
“Sky Lobby to Big Bubble in Under Five Minutes” Vol. 1 Brooklyn, December 2022
“Law, Destiny, Walt Disney” Skink Beat Review 2.1, April 2022
“Red/Black Concrete Poetry” Skink Beat Review 1.1, April 2021
“January 17th, 2008” Past Ten, January 2018
“Audrey Watched” The MacGuffin, 34.2, Spring 2018
books edited
Since 2017, Jason has offered developmental, copyediting, and line editing services for self-publishing authors and hybrid publishers, with more than forty titles under his belt, most notably the memoirs of NASA Space Shuttle astronauts Steven Hawley and Robert “Hoot” Gibson.
He specializes in novels (literary, upmarket, sci-fi, crime, thriller, horror, adventure, experimental), narrative non-fiction (memoir, autobiography), and prescriptive non-fiction (self-help, business, psychology, mind/body/spirit).
Email him at jasonbschaefer (at) gmail (dot) com to request a consultation on your project.
*ALL ARE BOOKPRESS PUBLISHING TITLES UNLESS INDICATED OTHERWISE; NOTABLE BOOKS IN BOLD; ALL AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
Eyes to the Stars, by Space Shuttle Astronaut Steven Hawley, PhD (2026)
Space Ace, by Space Shuttle Astronaut Robert “Hoot” Gibson (2026)
The Eyes of Tandor, Nancy Mangini (2025)
Sin & Sanctum, Gene Gross (2025)
Simpson’s Sheep Won’t Go to Sleep!, Bruce Arant (2025)
Giggly, Jiggly, Wiggly, Jenifer Owenson, JD (2025)
Kingfisher and the Crow, Tim Diaz & Peter Marino (2024)
In Search of Falling Stars, Harvey H. Nininger (2024)
Serious Business: Insights from a 5-Year-Old, Tina Smothers (2024)
Never Grow Up, Brenda Colby (2024)
First Flight, Astronaut Robert “Hoot” Gibson (2024)
Farmer Tom, Diane Rasmussen (2024)
Mars Hospital, Dr. Lloyd Flatt (2023)
The King-Makers of Providence, John Houle (2023)
The Siberian Candidate, John Houle (2023)
The Journey of Karoline Olsen, Ann Hanigan Kotz (2023)
The Sophocles Rule, Joseph LeValley (2023)
Three Weeks in Winter, Joseph LeValley (2023)
Polished: How Nail Salons Saved Vietnamese-Americans, Bi Ayers (2023)
Conflict Imagery: Developing a Reflective Framework, Kiley Fleming, EdD (2023)
Will Power: a Memoir, Will “Keeps” Holmes w/ Danny Beyer (2023)
My Silly Granny, Terry Leedom (2023)
Bobby the Bear Helps Build a Nest, Ryan O’Connor (2023)
Joni’s Wish, Jon Phillips (2023)
The Catbird Seat, Rebecca Hollingsworth, Greenleaf Book Group (2022)
Badges of Honor: Stories of the Head, Heart, and Hand, Ed. John Hinck, PhD (2022)
Bobby the Bear and His Big Surprise, Ryan O’Connor (2022)
Performing Murder, Joseph LeValley (2021)
The Third Side of Murder, Joseph LeValley (2021)
Cold Consequences, David Rohlfing (2021)
Adaptive Selling: How to Succeed During Times of Disruption, David Collins & John R. Myers (2021)
Psychedelic Cannabis: Therapeutic Methods and Unique Blends to Treat Trauma and Transform Consciousness, Daniel McQueen, self-published (2021)
Uncommon Wealth, Phillip Ramsey & Bryan Dewhurst (2021)
Astronaut Al Travels to the Moon, Al Worden, Apollo 15 Astronaut (2021)
Cry From an Unknown Grave, Joseph LeValley (2020)
The Build a Bigger Life Manifesto: A Guide to Becoming the Architect of Your Own Life, Adam Carroll (2020)
Sell With Authority: Own & Monetize Your Agency’s Authority Position, Drew McLellan & Stephen Woessner (2020)
The Crucial 12, Steve Wolgemuth (2020)
Boulder County: Crime, Love, and Cannabis, West of the 100th Meridian, Marc Krulewitch, self-published (2019)
The Match, Part 1: Game, Stacee Ann Harris, self-published (2018)
The Match, Part 2: Set, Stacee Ann Harris, self-published (2018)
The Match, Part 3: Match, Stacee Ann Harris, self-published (2018)
Everything That Counts, Melissa Algood, self-published (2017)
courses taught
Since AY Fall 2011, Jason has taught as an adjunct lecturer at colleges and universities in four states and for one year as a public school teacher. Subjects include creative writing, real-world writing, college writing, rhetoric, poetry, the short story, environmental literature, American literature, American culture, and the American West.
As part of his teaching philosophy, he believes the best writing is the product of a robust drafting process, that anyone can develop this process and shape it to their lifestyle and personality, and that the pursuit of skills in writing is a powerful and therapeutic tool for self-assessment—writing is personal discovery.
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO-BOULDER
Spr 26: Intro to the American West; Writing for the Real World
Fal 25: Reading, Writing, Culture; American Literature
Sum 25: Writing, Reading, Culture (virtual)
Spr 25: The Short Story; Environmental Literature; First-Year Writing & Rhetoric (x2)
Fal 24: First-Year Writing & Rhetoric; Poetry
Spr 24: First-Year Writing & Rhetoric; Intro Creative Writing Workshop; Intro Poetry Workshop
Fal 23: Environmental Literature; Poetry
Spr 23: Writing, Reading, Culture; Intro Fiction Workshop
ARAPAHOE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Spr 20: Composition I (x2); Composition II (virtual)
COLORADO EARLY COLLEGES-PARKER
Fal 19: Composition I (x3)
MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY
Fal 17: Intro to Fiction (virtual)
MISSOURI FINE ARTS ACADEMY
Enrichment Program for At-Risk Teens
Sum 17: Interdisciplinary Studies 101; Fiction in a Flash: Stories from Six to 1,500 Words; Concrete Poetry: The Word as an Element of Visual Art; Non-Linear Narratives in Fiction and Film
HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE NORTHWEST
Spr 15: Composition II (x3)
Fal 14: Composition I (x3); Composition I
HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
AY 2013-14: 6th Grade Writing & Language Arts
GEORGIA MILITARY COLLEGE
Spr 12 & Fal 11: English 099 Remedial Writing (x3)
education/training
As a lifelong naturalist, Jason sought certifications and personal experiences in adventure sports, natural science, and wilderness medicine alongside traditional academic degrees in writing and publishing. He can speak with authority on environmental literature, narratives of place, writing about the outdoors, and connecting the classroom to the real world.
ORION ENVIRONMENTAL WRITER’S WORKSHOP
In-Person Attendee, Rhinebeck, NY, 2024
DENVER PUBLISHING INSTITUTE
Certificate in Publishing, Denver, CO, Aug 2022
VCFA POSTGRADUATE WRITER’S CONFERENCE
Virtual Attendee, June 2022
Workshop Leader: William Giraldi
VCFA NOVEL WORKSHOP
In-Person Attendee, Montpelier, VT, 2021
Workshop Leader: Connie May Fowler
DESERT MOUNTAIN MEDICINE
Wilderness First Responder Certification, Jan 2019
NATIONAL OUTDOOR LEADERSHIP SCHOOL
Pacific Northwest Mountaineering–Prime, Aug 2018
MFA WRITING
Vermont College of Fine Arts, Jan 2017
Conference Abroad, Slovenia, June 2016
Notable Mentors: Brian Leung, Ellen Lesser, Trinie Dalton, Ralph Angel, T. Geronimo Johnson, Ada Limón, Bret Lott
MA ENGLISH AND CREATIVE WRITING
Southern New Hampshire University, Aug 2013
BA ENGLISH, MUSIC MINOR
University of North Texas, Aug 2007
Jazz Studies, 2002-2005
English, creative writing concentration, 2005-2007
Study Abroad, England & Scotland, Summer 2006
ASSOCIATION OF WRITERS & WRITING PROGRAMS
Virtual Attendee, Kansas City 2021
Panel Moderator, Presenter: “Beyond Prescriptivism: Finding Our Own Paths to Creativity,” 2021
In-Person Attendee, San Antonio 2020; Los Angeles 2016
