Velvet Pearson first taught a college composition course in 1988 for San Diego State University as she was completing an M.A. in English with an emphasis in creative writing. She wrote a two-act play for her master’s thesis and continues to write short fiction. Her commitment to teaching led her to pursue a Ph.D. in English from the University of Southern California, where wrote her dissertation on the influence of works translated from French on 16th-century English culture and literature. She also taught for USC’s Writing Program for seven years and helped train incoming composition instructors.

Dr. Pearson has been working in a community college setting since August 1998 and joined Long Beach City College in August 2001; although she has taught both literature and creative writing courses, her main focus remains on the courses she teaches every single semester, the varying levels of pre-collegiate and college-level composition.