Andy Eaton
English
aeaton@millerschool.org
434-818-1369 ext. 1036
B.A., Missouri State University
M.F.A., University of Virginia
Ph.D., Queen’s University Belfast
“History is not the past. It is the present,” wrote James Baldwin, one of Dr. Eaton’s favorite writers. Another point on his compass comes from the Argentinian poet Antonio Porchia, who writes, “I know what I have given you, I do not know what you have received.”
In Dr. Eaton’s classroom, students are challenged to grapple with meaning and mystery in language, moving closer to their own authentic voice through reading, writing, and what he calls a “generous inquiry.” Andy hopes that, as the Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney writes, his students will be inspired both intellectually and creatively to “walk on air against [their] better judgement.”
Andy joined the Miller School as an English teacher in 2021. After moving from Northern Ireland and spending three years at the University of Virginia, Andy, with his wife Holly and their son, now call central Virginia home, and are delighted to be part of the Miller School community.
When he is not teaching, Andy is found playing his guitar, composing music under Blackbird Cathedral, and writing poems. His writing appears widely and can be found in journals like Ploughshares, Virginia Quarterly Review, and The Yale Review, among other places.
Along with his passion for teaching and writing, he enjoys good trees, good coffee, and good conversation.