Remembering writing instructor and author Amy Ettinger

Amy Ettinger (Image credit: Dan White)

Amy Jordana Ettinger, a Bay Area author and Stanford Continuing Studies writing instructor, died March 20 at her home in Santa Cruz. She was 49.

Ettinger began teaching in the Stanford Continuing Studies creative writing program in 2019 and continued teaching after she was diagnosed with leiomyosarcoma, a rare and incurable form of cancer. During her time at Stanford, she taught 14 non-fiction writing classes, including courses like CNF 75: Creative Nonfiction Book: From Idea to Proposal and CNF 76: Pitch and Publish Your Nonfiction Stories.

“Amy graciously and generously shared her love of writing with students who gravitated to her for her energy, enthusiasm, and unflagging support,” said Malena Watrous, the creative writing coordinator at Stanford Continuing Studies. “She wanted them to know that being a published writer was within the realm of possibility for anyone who was willing to pursue a story and put in the work of getting it on paper and revising it until it shone.”

Ettinger taught two courses in the program until she began hospice care.

She wrote about her experiences with a terminal illness in two pieces for the Washington Post – her final story published in print the day before she died – in which she reflected on some of the meaningful moments during her final months. One of the highlights she shared was teaching at Stanford to the very end of her life.

“Amy had a generous spirit. She never did anything in half measures, whether she was writing a personal essay for the Washington Post or teaching her writing classes at Stanford,” said Ettinger’s husband, Dan White. “She cared very much about her students, and she was so proud of the work they did.”

Helping students find their own sweet spot

Ettinger was an accomplished writer herself.

She began her career writing for the Monterey Bay Herald before becoming a freelance journalist. Her pieces appeared in national outlets including the New York Times, the Washington Post, New York Magazine, Salon, CNN, and Newsweek. In 2017, Ettinger published her own nonfiction book, Sweet Spot: An Ice Cream Binge Across America (Penguin Random House).

“Amy loved to connect to large audiences with her writing, but teaching added a whole new dimension to her career,” said White. “She loved the idea of helping students demystify the process of getting published and writing proposals, or removing some of the fear factor and help them consider the perspective of the editors and publishers who would be looking at their work.”

Ettinger encouraged her Stanford Continuing Studies students to find their own sweet spot.

Ettinger’s classes filled with both new and returning students, including Alyssa Lauren Stone who took two courses with Ettinger in 2022. Within months of working with Ettinger, Stone published her own work in well-known news outlets. She credits her early success to working with Ettinger, particularly her advice on pitching compelling ideas to editors.

“Amy had a real knack for knowing what stories editors like,” Stone said. “Amy was a generous teacher who did not hold back from sharing her tools for success.”

Ettinger was also a mentor to another instructor in the Stanford Continuing Studies creative writing program, Gregg Wrenn.

“Amy was an extraordinary creative nonfiction instructor who gave me the emotional support and editorial expertise I needed to finish my memoir,” said Wren. “Her work touched hundreds of students just like me who will miss her deeply.”

Ettinger is survived by her husband Dan and their daughter, Julianna.