2002 Alumni Spotlight: Alissia Jean-Riling Lingaur
Published August 24, 2026 by Christopher Toth
Current Job Title
Retired Adjunct Instructor and Author
Describe your current position.
I taught creative writing, composition, and developmental writing at Northwestern Michigan College. I also served as the literary advisor to the NMC student magazine. I'm also a published author of two books, The Train Stop and The House of Sorrow and Joy.
To what extent does writing relate to your current position? What type of writing/design do you do for work?
Writing was everything and applied to all aspects of my position. I am a fiction writer at heart, but I write everything.
Please describe your path from graduation at GVSU to your current position.
After graduating from GVSU in 2002, I went to Bowling Green State University in Ohio and earned a MFA in Fiction. I then taught at Oakland Community College and Macomb Community College in metro-Detroit, before moving up to Traverse City in 2013 to teach at NMC.
What parts of the writing major had the strongest impact on you as a professional?
The part that had the most impact were probably the writing workshops. The variety of instructors I worked with were also very influential.
What advice would you offer to current/future writing majors at Grand Valley?
I would encourage future students to keep reading and read everything. That's how you learn to be a better writer.
*We are saddened to share that Alissia has passed away on August 8, 2026.*