Lita Kurth, who teaches Composition, Business Writing, and Creative Writing tutorials at Santa Clara, is a generalist par excellence. She began as an historian and French Literature major, studying the Protestant Reformation and the French Revolution in particular at the University of Wisconsin and UC Berkeley. Later, she pursued a non-academic career writing grant proposals and conducting development research at institutions such as the Exploratorium. Returning to teaching as her true calling, she undertook a degree in English Composition, the perfect field for someone with too many interests. Her most recent academic pursuit is an MFA in creative writing at Pacific Lutheran University.

Two California literary figures Lita has studied in depth include John Steinbeck whose writing journals provide a wonderful insight into the struggles even very successful writers face; and Jack London, another native son who has written insightfully about the relationship between his written work and his life experience. Lita is fascinated by the Central Valley and its rural and agricultural history including the dramatic events of the Dust Bowl days and the UFW, and by the fantastic multicultural mix of the Bay Area and Central Valley.

Lita has presented conference papers on Jungian archetypes, creative nonfiction, and small-group dynamics. She has published reviews, essays, and poetry. She is also a freelance editor, proofreader, and writing consultant.