Robin Bourjaily

Robin (she/her) connects with students at the beginning of their Grinnell journey as an exploratory adviser.

Born southwest of Iowa City, Robin attended Georgetown University (BA, English and Fine Arts) and the University of Iowa (MA, Creative Nonfiction). She spent the first chapter of her career as a professor of English, teaching a variety of writing, literature, and journalism courses, first at Suffolk County Community College on Long Island, where she was an associate professor, before moving on to American University in Washington, DC, and Montgomery College in Rockville, MD. During the following chapter, Robin founded a freelance editing business that allowed her to work and stay home with her children (who grew up to become members of the Grinnell classes of 2020 and 2024). When her family moved to Des Moines, Robin’s love of yoga turned into a different kind of teaching career and her entrepreneurial spirit led her to launch her yoga studio, Radiant Om Yoga. Another chapter saw Robin’s side hustles turn into Poses & Prose, and Robin augmented that work with a return to academic pursuits; she joined the student services staff at Des Moines Area Community College as an academic advisor. All of these adventures have brought her to Grinnell College, where she joined the CLS first as Program and Communications Coordinator. She is delighted to embark on her next chapter with the CLS.

Outside of work, Robin is a creative writer, avid baker, and joyful yogini who marvels at nature, loves to read, and never turns down a good cup of tea.