Before coming back to the MEW Writing Center at UM-Flint, I worked at a writing center at a community college. One day when it was a little slow, I struck up a conversation with another writing tutor. I asked him if he had used the writing center recently. “Oh no,” he said right away. “I’m
The Hierarchy of the Writing Center and the Two Way Street of Learning
Since my time in grade school, high school, and even now in college I have been well aware of the system of hierarchy embedded within the education system and in all of academia. As I am presently experiencing the role of a writing tutor I have recently begun to question the hierarchy system in academia
An Apology (or two)
As I sit here marveling at my latest compositional masterpiece, I find myself filled with self-doubt. Does the essay fulfill the requirements of the task assigned to me? If it does not, I humbly apologize. Speaking of apologies, this apology reminds me of several other actions in my life for which I probably
A Public Service Announcement
A recent poll of 314 million Americans by the Institute for Impracticable Statistical Studies has found that the average person has one testicle and one breast. Knowing that I am above average in one of those categories has given me the confidence to write a blog post in which I admit my struggles
Grandma Knowknows Grammar No-nos
Eat Your Peas and Carrots and Don’t Split Your Infinitives. Dissociative Infinitive Disorder (a.k.a. split infinitive disease) is a linguistic ailment associated with early grammar trauma and characterized by adverbial intrusion of the full infinitive. What Is Dissociative Infinitive Disorder? Most of us have experienced mild cases of infinitive dissociation, but to fully understand split
Stepping Away and the 3AM Wake-Up Call
Writing is a stop-and-start process for me. Yeah, groundbreaking stuff here folks. This is true for most writers I talk to, but I’ve found my own stops-and-starts can be identified by category, or conspirator. I’ll explain. Some are interruptions. I’m a husband and father of three, so even if I’m barricaded in my office with
To Write We Must First Read
In our quest for knowledge, we write in order to express ourselves, but we must first read if we ever hope to gain any of that knowledge. As a writer I am able to express my thoughts and ideas. I am free to open my mind and unleash it upon the world, but before I
Common Ground
Act One I adore literature. My mom used to say that she only recognized me by the top of my head because of the time spent engrossed in a book. If you ask me what book is my favorite, I will have a hard time choosing. There’s the one that makes me cry with each
Authorities In Our Libraries
Hello reader. Today we’re going to talk about what I’m currently studying. I would love to talk about what you’re studying, but unfortunately I am the writer and I am calling the shots around here. In Professor Zeff’s Women & Ficton course, we’ve been reading work by Virginia Woolf. Every time I begin a study
Conversations and Writer’s Block
Sometimes you find yourself in some sort of sticky situation, or dark time. Everything seems impossible or improbable. The odds seem to be against you, and no matter what you put to the page, you just hate it. You’re hard on yourself and don’t give yourself the breathing space to realize it’s just a first