Consultants
Kate
Vera
Pronouns: she/they
Hometown: O'Neill, Nebraska
Year of Study: Senior
Major(s): English
Future Life Plans: I'd love to be an artist or writer.
Superhero Name: The Red Witch
Favorite Piece of Writing: All my favorite writing is fanfiction (whoops)
Favorite/least favorite writing: I love creative fiction and nonfiction assignments and I have a soft spot for poetry! Assignments that require research give me headaches.
Part of speech you would be and why: I have a tendency to overuse exclamation points!!! However, if I had to BE a punctuation mark, nothing can beat the mysterious allure of a simple question mark
Hobbies: I love to write, sing, act, play videogames, roleplay, draw, dance, binge movies and TV shows, and most importantly; cuddle kitties!
Kevin
Pronouns: he/him
Hometown: Lincoln
Year of Study: Senior
Major(s): English Major, Ethnic Studies Minor
Future Life Plans: Human Resources
Superhero Name: Kevin-Man
Favorite Piece of Writing: The Hobbit
Favorite/least favorite writing: Closed reading essays
Part of speech you would be and why: ~ because I don't know exactly what its purpose is and it looks funny
Hobbies: Writing, and playing video games with friends
Landyn
Pronouns: she/her
Hometown: Arnold, NE
Year of Study: Senior
Major(s): Major: English Minors: Political Science; Human Rights & Humanitarian Affairs
Future Life Plans: I plan to attend grad school and then teach English literature at a university!
Superhero Name: Super-Procrastinator
Favorite Piece of Writing: "dear white america" by Danez Smith
Favorite/least favorite writing: I enjoy writing opinion pieces and close-reading essays; I would be just fine if I never had to write in IMRaD format ever again.
Part of speech you would be and why: I would choose to be a semicolon; I use this punctuation mark probably too much, but like how one can relate a semicolon to life. Even when something feels like it's coming to an end, there might be more clarity just around the corner.
Hobbies: I enjoy reading fiction and teaching ESL classes!
Michael
Hometown: St. Paul, Minnesota
Year of Study: Senior
Major(s): English Major with Minors in Political Science and Philosophy
Future Life Plans: I plan on taking a gap year after graduation before heading off into a Masters program!
Superhero Name: Captain Minnesota
Favorite Piece of Writing: Either Beloved by Toni Morrison or the poem "Archeology" by W.H. Auden
Favorite/least favorite writing: I love writing pieces that require research! It is so fun to (re)explore new topics and contexts and there are so many ways to utilize this knowledge in writing.
Part of speech you would be and why: Verbs, for sure. Nothing would be done without them!
Hobbies: I enjoy reading and writing a variety of genres as well as hiking and learning new instruments.
Connor
Pronouns: they/him
Hometown: Oglala
Year of Study: Junior
Major(s): English with a specific interest in creative writing.
Future Life Plans: Crochet shells for crabs without homes.
Superhero Name: Cookie Lad
Favorite Piece of Writing: Girl, Woman, Other
Favorite/least favorite writing: I like papers that mix research and creative writing.
Part of speech you would be and why: ; because it's the first half of the winky face emoji
Hobbies: I like all kinds of art and snuggling small animals.
Gabriel
Pronouns: he/him
Hometown: Omaha, NE
Year of Study: Junior
Major(s): English
Future Life Plans: I will have a million bands and I will work in non-profits to help out workers.
Superhero Name: Blorbo
Favorite Piece of Writing: The Tar Tar Steppe
Favorite/least favorite writing: My least favorite writing assignment would be any writing assignment in high school
Part of speech you would be and why: I am a phrase because sometimes all I can say is a phrase, and all I need is a phrase.
Hobbies: Learning music, making songs, working out, volunteering for nonprofits, writing letters to government elected officials
Elena
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Year of Study: Junior
Major(s): Economics and Supply Chain Management
Future Life Plans: Graduate school, marriage, children, & gainful employment
Superhero Name: I wouldn’t know
Favorite Piece of Writing: The Splendid and the Vile by Eric Larson.
Favorite/least favorite writing: Reflection writing
Part of speech you would be and why: The period: effective and concise.
Hobbies: Fitness, painting, and cooking.
Melissa French-Sloan
Pronouns: she/her
Hometown: Favorite Place I've Lived: Portland, OR
Year of Study: Junior
Major(s): Sociology, WGS, English, Human Rights & Humanitarian Affairs
Future Life Plans: Graduate school
Superhero Name: oh no
Favorite Piece of Writing: This always changes, but right now it is anything by Ocean Vuong.
Favorite/least favorite writing: Favorite- Creative nonfiction!
Hobbies: Baking & pastry
Ashleigh
Pronouns: she/her
Hometown: North Platte, NE
Year of Study: Junior
Major(s): Double major in English and History - minor in Women's and Gender Studies
Future Life Plans: I would love to become a book editor.
Superhero Name: Amazing Ashleigh
Favorite Piece of Writing: My favorite pieces of writing are the letters my friends and family write to me.
Favorite/least favorite writing: My least favorite writing assignments are ones where I get no choice over what I write. I like to be able to have some say in what I am researching and writing about.
Part of speech you would be and why: I would choose to be a question mark because I feel like I am often asking questions.
Hobbies: I love to read and crochet.
Andrea
Pronouns: She/her
Hometown: I'm from Lincoln, Nebraska
Year of Study: Junior
Major(s): English major with a minor in Criminology, pre-law
Future Life Plans: Law school, I plan to be an attorney
Superhero Name: Supernova
Favorite Piece of Writing: If We Were Villains by M.L Rio
Favorite/least favorite writing: Any paper that is for a science class, or any strict prompts
Part of speech you would be and why: I would be an exclamation mark because I am always loud and excited about the things I talk about.
Hobbies: I read, play the piano, write, paint watercolor, I love amine and the gym/ being active
Samantha
Pronouns: she/her
Hometown: Lincoln, NE
Year of Study: Junior
Major(s): Journalism major and Women & Gender Studies minor
Future Life Plans: Writer and researcher for a nonprofit focused on social justice issues
Superhero Name: Zircon Sorceress
Favorite Piece of Writing: My favorite piece of writing that I wrote was an archival research and writing project for a special topics journalism class where we analyzed past Omaha World-Herald coverage of race-related events. My stories were published in the Omaha World-Herald last year along with the other students' in the class!
Favorite/least favorite writing: I love doing archival research and literary analysis
Part of speech you would be and why: I would be an adverb because I like to use them frequently in my writing.
Hobbies: music, paranormal and true crime podcasts, and movies
Kennedy
Pronouns: she/her
Hometown: Omaha, NE
Year of Study: Junior
Major(s): English and Communication Studies Majors, Classics Minor
Future Life Plans: I hope to continue to publish my writing, but for now I'm just going with the flow of life!
Superhero Name: Super (Sleepy) Girl
Favorite Piece of Writing: Oh, sleep forever in the Latmian Cave by Edna St. Vincent Millay
Favorite/least favorite writing: My favorite writing assignment is anything that gives me an ounce of wiggle room!
Part of speech you would be and why: A comma, because I never stop talking.
Hobbies: I'm on the UNL Flagline and I love to exercise, write creatively, and I coach color guard in Omaha!
Julia
Pronouns: she/her
Hometown: Lincoln
Year of Study: Sophomore
Major(s): Majors in English and Environmental Studies and a minor in Spanish
Future Life Plans: I want to become a fiction writer and a water concervationist
Superhero Name: Super Ghoulia
Favorite Piece of Writing: Women by Adrienne Rich
Favorite/least favorite writing: I had a professor have us write a short paper about what we liked about the book he wrote.
Part of speech you would be and why: I would choose to be a semicolon because I love to talk, but run-on sentences get confusing.
Hobbies: Writing (duh), painting, and watching way too many video essays on Youtube
Kathleen
Pronouns: she/her
Hometown: Manistee, Michigan
Year of Study: PhD Student
Major(s): Composition & Rhetoric – disability studies & mental health rhetoric
Future Life Plans: I want to be an English professor!
Superhero Name: Red Rosa
Favorite Piece of Writing: Anarchist activist Emma Goldman's autobiography, Living My Life
Favorite/least favorite writing: I really love writing conference papers. I like writing that is meant to be read aloud and that is used to kick off a discussion!
Part of speech you would be and why: I would choose to be a semi-colon. I want to be a connecting force.
Hobbies: I love to tend to my many indoor & outdoor plants, play along to my roommate Patrick's compositions on my trumpet, listen to activist podcasts, go for long walks, read outside my field, and relax with my two cats – Marley & Nala.
Serenity Dougherty
Pronouns: she/they/he
Hometown: O'Neill, Nebraska
Year of Study: PhD Student
Major(s): English major specializing in Rhetoric and Composition and Women and Gender Studies
Future Life Plans: To leave this world better than I found it.
Superhero Name: Hero McHero Face
Favorite Piece of Writing: I love the writing for the four "Fanny and Earl" videos by FilmCow on YouTube
Favorite/least favorite writing: I love writing assignments that challenge me to try something new. I dislike discussion board posts, I find discussion boards overwhelming and I'd much rather share my ideas face to face.
Part of speech you would be and why: Em Dash! Sure, you probably haven't heard of me, but once you get to know me you won't want to live without me.
Hobbies: I do stand-up comedy!
Tina
Pronouns: she/her
Hometown: I was born and raised in Lincoln!
Year of Study: PhD Student
Major(s): Composition & Rhetoric
Future Life Plans: I would love to teach future English teachers.
Superhero Name: Pool Noodle (because I can't swim)
Favorite Piece of Writing: "Hammond B3 Organ Cistern" by Gabrielle Calvocoressi
Favorite/least favorite writing: A braided essay
Part of speech you would be and why: Interjection because that's how my inner voice sounds ("Yikes!")
Hobbies: antiquing, watching F1 racing, cooking, playing Animal Crossing
Ian
Pronouns: he/him
Hometown: The Upper Peninsula
Year of Study: PhD Student
Major(s): English
Future Life Plans: Living to be 120
Superhero Name: The only superhero I respect is Mr. Mxyzptlk
Favorite Piece of Writing: Oreo by Fran Ross
Favorite/least favorite writing: Emails
Part of speech you would be and why: En-dash; rarely used and underappreciated.
Hobbies: Bela Lugosi films; Jazz
Alina
Pronouns: she/her
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Year of Study: PhD Student
Major(s): Creative Writing
Future Life Plans: Teaching & Writing Poems
Superhero Name: Green Ink
Favorite Piece of Writing: Amy Tan's "Mother Tongue"
Favorite/least favorite writing: Anything that has to do with the personal
Part of speech you would be and why: I'd be an ampersand! What a gift to be an addition to something.
Hobbies: Printmaking
Uche
Pronouns: she/her
Hometown: Asaba, Nigeria (hometown)
Year of Study: PhD Student
Major(s): Creative Writing (Fiction)
Future Life Plans: To one day have future life plans
Superhero Name: Ms. Nobody
Favorite Piece of Writing: Kintu' by Jennifer Makumbi (one of many faves)
Favorite/least favorite writing: Not a fan of in-class writing, though I can appreciate its usefulness.
Part of speech you would be and why: The full stop. I like the finality.
Hobbies: Plants, jigsaw puzzles, books
Malik
Pronouns: he/him
Year of Study: PhD Student
Amanda (Research Assistant)
Pronouns: she/her
Hometown: Granbury, TX
Year of Study: Masters Student
Major(s): English—Composition & Rhetoric
Future Life Plans: I plan to go into higher education, likely as a professor. I want to write and teach about the experiences and perspectives of minoritized people.
Superhero Name: Pink Wasp
Favorite Piece of Writing: All the Light We Cannot See by Doerr
Favorite/least favorite writing: I love rhetorical analysis.
Part of speech you would be and why: I would be an exclamation point because I’m an excitable reactionary!
Hobbies: Crafting, cooking/baking, and playing with my cats