Usually, you’ll find Luther Houle in the Writing Center sipping tea out of his favorite mug, a coffee cup with a zen-happy pig on the front. He received it last year as a new tutor award. Luther’s a low-key, happy guy and students love him. He’s kind, patient, and nurturing. It’s not uncommon to hear
Error Positive
Not all, but many students come to the writing center frazzled, worried, and unsure about their writing. With desperate eyes they hope the tutor can help them figure out what their next steps should be or how to make what they have acceptable to a professor. They fear the red pen signaling mistakes and failure,
Advice from a Maize and Blue Scholar: “You’ll be alright. Just don’t panic.”
Easy for Tyrice to say. He’s always cool under pressure! The Marian E. Wright Writing Center is ecstatically proud of Tyrice Denson—if there is a stronger word than “ecstatic,” include that too. Tyrice was selected as one of this year’s 2019 graduating Maize and Blue Scholars. When I asked him how he felt about being
Welcome Back: Walk-In Tutoring and More Changes
Hello, University of Michigan-Flint, and welcome back for the Winter 2019 semester! Whiteboard art compliments of Laura, Tutor at MEW The Marian E. Wright Writing Center is open again, and we’ve made a few changes since you last saw us. Schedule: our hours have changed, and we’re now open on Sundays. Our new hours are
End of Semester Chaos: 3 Tips to Manage Stress
The end is in sight. The Winter 2021 semester is coming to a close. We are a week or so away from completing our final exams and turning in our final projects and essays. The work load is piling up, and we have limited time to pull it all together. Between managing our university lives
Dealing with Logjams: For When the Words are Stubborn
Not too long ago, my family visited Lumberman’s Monument. It’s on the Au Sable River west of Oscoda, and if you haven’t been, I recommend it (although I think Iargo Springs, a few miles down the road, is even better). The views are excellent, the monument itself oddly compelling and vivid for being a bunch
Debunking Your Writing Center Fears
Hey writers! My name is Cecilia and I’m a tutor at the M.E.W. Writing Center. Have you ever felt unsure to ask for help on a writing assignment? I know I have. To gain a better perspective about UM-Flint writers’ potential concerns, I asked a few of our tutors to share some of their initial
Profiles in Process: Cecilia W.
Continuing our conversation with Writing Center tutors about their unique writing process, here is what Cecilia had to say about her process. We hope you find some helpful tips and advice! What are your favorite pre-writing strategies? What works for you? I’m a big fan of making lists of words, topics, and general ideas. I don’t
Love Stinks Contest Winner — Poetry
We would like to congratulate Andrew Wassell on their winning poetry submission, entitled “Love Poem” for the “Love Stinks” contest! Love Poem From a cold beach, in November’s evening There amongst the icy pillars weaving A whole seven of my life’s ten threads in, There to stay, I shall live in joy and die without
Love Stinks Contest Winner — Short Story
We would like to congratulate Christopher Dinnan on his Love Stinks winning short story, entitled “Real Life Romance!” Real Life Romance As I turn the key, I sigh. My breath mimics the engine as it dies. I die, but only a little. I’m home. The car, and I, share a groan, as I get out.
Profiles in Process: Laura G.
Sometimes the best way to pick up new tips and tricks is to see how other people work through a task. With that in mind, here’s a peek into the writing process of Laura, one of our illustrious tutors. Thanks for volunteering, Laura! What are your favorite pre-writing strategies? What works for you? My favorite pre-writing
Lists Are Great: Pre-writing for the organization-phobic
I admire organized people. I really do. They have planners and charts and spreadsheets and pay their bills on time, and generally seem to have their stuff together. That’s probably pretty cool. I am not an organized person, so I wouldn’t know. I spend a lot of my time at the ragged edge of disaster,
What the heck is “The First Five Minutes”?
If you’ve been to UM-Flint’s Marian E. Wright writing center before, you might be aware that the tutor will often ask you about your day or about the assignment before we begin going over the paper. Why do we do this? At the writing center, we call this “The First Five Minutes”. The First Five
Spooktacular Flash Fiction Contest Short Story Winner
We would like to congratulate Ronan Streby for their winning short story, as part of our Spooktacular Flash Fiction contest! “The Coldwater Incident,” by Ronan Streby My Dad never liked 4th of July much. While everyone else ate barbeque and blew stuff up, he mostly just sat inside and read. He’d never say why, just