Lisa Diercks

Graduate Program Director and Associate Professor, Writing, Literature & Publishing

Lisa Diercks' publishing career began with designing book jackets for Houghton Mifflin's trade and reference division—a job she landed thanks in part to her undergraduate major in Soviet and Eastern European studies. The unusual discipline suggested an intellectual curiosity that Houghton's art director recognized as essential for creative work. Lisa established her own business in 1987, designing for book publishers and nonprofits. One of Lisa's book design credits, Chocolate on the Brain, was selected for the annual Bookbuilders of Boston New England Book Show.

Since 1996, Lisa has shared her creativity with her students at Emerson. Teaching courses in book and magazine design and production and desktop publishing, she stresses the importance of design, even for non-designers. Lisa highlights the congenial atmosphere of Emerson's Writing, Literature & Publishing community, “it's great to be in a place where everyone loves books.”

Under Lisa's instruction, an affinity for literature translates into professional publishing success: four group projects from Lisa's book design course have been selected for the Bookbuilders of Boston show, multiple student publications she advises have won awards in national competitions, many of her students have secured valuable publishing and writing internships, and several have found jobs in book or magazine design right out of Emerson. “Usually, you need an art degree, but the Emerson reputation goes a long way within the publishing community.”