Cathy Irwin Assistant Professor of English Cathy Irwin laughs often and smiles as she recalls finding her professional calling as an sophomore in college, when she took a required literature course taught by Jenny Franchot at the University of California, Berkeley. “I realized this was what I wanted to do,” she says. Professor Irwin loves all the genres of literature, although her focus has been in poetry. She began studying and writing her own poetry in graduate school, while also developing a love for ethnic plays and performance. She has given readings at Beyond Baroque and the Japanese American Cultural Center in Los Angeles. As a child growing up in Los Angeles, Professor Irwin’s love for the arts began with the theater, when she wrote and participated in plays throughout her elementary and junior high school years. Although she has never acted professionally, she has taken several acting and theater classes because she enjoys studying character. She would become so immersed in the thought processes and motivations of new characters that she initially wanted to take her study of the psyche further. As a freshman in college, she thought she might become a psychologist. “I thought it was fascinating. I loved studying people and really thought it was fascinating to study the mind,” she says. “I have found that writing and the study of literature is a study of both character and mind; it’s the mind in action.” While she focuses on writing, literature, and culture, Professor Irwin also thrives on rigorous physical activity. Besides yoga, she has practiced a martial art known as Aikido for the past nine years and also regularly swims and takes nature walks on local hiking trails. Her interest in aikido as well as Buddhism had led to several trips to Japan. One of the things she has come to love about this country is its people’s appreciation for nature. “I love the food and am such a tourist,” she says. “But I also love how people worship nature there; when maple trees or the plum blossoms are in their finest colors, people dress up in kimonos and suits just to go and see the blooming of nature,” she says. “I’m really impressed by how they respect their environment and have a love for the natural.” Besides the Japanese culture, Professor Irwin is also knowledgeable about her own Filipino-Irish-Scottish-American heritage . “My parents came to America in their twenties and met here,” she says. She tries to visit her parents every weekend, driving to her hometown of Westchester and attempting to catch glimpses of the beach. “Nature calms me,” she says. “I go (to the beach) every chance I get-- even if it means just driving by and taking a peek. RETURN TO FACULTY LISTHome.htmlshapeimage_2_link_0