Jody Gehrman is a professor of communication studies. She has been teaching at the college level since 1997. Her usual course load includes Intro to Public Speaking, Argumentation and Debate, Mass Media and Society, and Intro to Communication Studies. She is also a novelist and playwright who has authored over a dozen published novels and numerous plays for the stage and screen. She lives in Ukiah with her set designer husband and two out of control cats.