Staff

Clara Edwards

Pronouns: she/her

Hometown: Omaha, NE

Year of Study: Senior

Major(s): English

Future Life Plans: Pursue a career in Student Affairs

Superhero Name: The "Pun"isher

Favorite Piece of Writing: Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

Favorite/least favorite writing: Technical writing

Part of speech you would be and why: The mysterious ellipsis...

Hobbies: Crafting, Korean pop culture

Aryn

Pronouns: they/them

Hometown: Omaha NE

Year of Study: Senior

Major(s): English

Minor(s): Computer Science and Business

Future Life Plans: Technical writing, creative writing

Superhero Name: Cypher

Favorite Piece of Writing: I've been working on this long piece of fiction titled D-Factor for years. I may never finish this one, but it's fun.

Favorite/least favorite writing: I wrote some technical tutorials for Microsoft, that was actually pretty fun.

Part of speech you would be and why: (I really love parentheses)

Hobbies: Outside of writing I play DnD and I'm a little addicted to Animal Crossing right now.

Evan

Hometown: Stevensville, MI

Year of Study: Senior

Major(s): English

Minor(s): Business and Digital Humanities

Future Life Plans: Become a published author

Superhero Name: Mr. E

Favorite Piece of Writing: Goodnight Punpun

Favorite/least favorite writing: Research paper

Part of speech you would be and why: A comma. I love that little bit of continuation or extra info.

Hobbies: Video Games, Reading, creative writing.

Araya

Hometown: My favorite place I've lived is Seattle!

Year of Study: Senior

Major(s): English and history

Minor(s): Women's & Gender Studies and a concentration in creative writing.

Future Life Plans: "What are your future life plans" is one of my favorite questions, but the short answer is: help people. I DO plan on being published at some point, whether the material be my novels, poetry, essays, or memoir. I will also have an animal sanctuary when I grow up.

Superhero Name: Ha--Sunshine :)

Favorite Piece of Writing: Although it's not my favorite book (definitely in my top five!), my favorite piece of writing is called THE CHOSEN, by Chaim Potok.

Favorite/least favorite writing: I choose to love my least favorite writing assignments, which are short story or flash fiction assignments, because I believe ingenuity manifests from challenges and obstacles.

Part of speech you would be and why: This is really difficult...it's a tie between an exclamation point (because excitement! And greater emotion!) and a semicolon (tell me you don't love the idea of connecting two complete thoughts--I dare you). Okay, also the em dash because versatility! *Cue existential crisis.*

Hobbies: I consider writing as integral to my life as breathing, so it's not a hobby. My hobbies are photography and and going to concerts! I also like building/fixing things--I work on cars with my uncle and am currently building my bookcase.

Grace Stallworth

Pronouns: she/her

Hometown: Lincoln, NE

Year of Study: Senior

Major(s): Psychology/Sociology

Future Life Plans: Grad school, and a home with a nice view

Superhero Name: Grace the Great because I am a great superhero (also the alliteration)

Favorite Piece of Writing: Slaughterhouse - Five by Kurt Vonnegut, no contest

Favorite/least favorite writing: My least favorite writing assignment is probably reaction papers; I don't find them too difficult so I really just find them mundane.

Part of speech you would be and why: An exclamation point because I love being excited and happy!!!! 

Hobbies: I like watching medical shows, reading, doing yoga, hanging out at coffee shops and spending time with family & friends.

Xinyue

Pronouns: she/her

Hometown: Beijing, China

Year of Study: Senior

Major(s): Communication Studies & English

Minor(s): Psychology

Future Life Plans: Getting a doctoral degree in counselling psychology, helping more people solve their problems

Superhero Name: Wonder Woman!!!

Favorite Piece of Writing: I love every writing I did, they are my precious! My favorite book is a Chinese fiction named Dragon Raja

Favorite/least favorite writing: I don't like writing research paper

Part of speech you would be and why: Question mark. Because I always question myself, the secret of life, or human relationships. By questioning, I could get various answers, which allows me to learn that there are many possibilities in our life.

Hobbies: Writing, dancing, travelling, watching movies, outdoor activities. I love to try different things!

Chris

Hometown: Omaha

Year of Study: Junior

Major(s): German and English

Minor(s): Business Administration

Future Life Plans: Leave Nebraska, teach ELL at a community college

Superhero Name: The Elastic Etheredge

Favorite Piece of Writing: What is it like to be a bat? by Thomas Nagel

Favorite/least favorite writing: Poetry assignments are both my favorite and least favorite.

Part of speech you would be and why: An adverb; I don't always feel necessary, but more like a welcomed 'spice'.

Hobbies: Staying active through climbing and cycling, and playing/studying chess.

Constance

Pronouns: she/her

Hometown: Norfolk, NE

Year of Study: Junior

Major(s): Secondary English/Language Arts Education

Future Life Plans: To be a high school English teacher somewhere in either Nebraska or Texas

Superhero Name: Constantinople

Favorite Piece of Writing: The Harry Potter books

Favorite/least favorite writing: My favorite writing assignment is a finished writing assignment

Part of speech you would be and why: I would be an exclamation point because they're fun and add excitement to a piece of writing.

Hobbies: I enjoy reading and binge watching shows like Supernatural, The Office, and Sherlock on Netflix. I also love going out for tacos.

Lee Kenny

Pronouns: she/her

Hometown: Omaha

Year of Study: Junior

Major(s): English, Psychology

Minor(s): Mathematics

Future Life Plans: Foster mom, management consultant, author

Superhero Name: Ghost Lee

Favorite Piece of Writing: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Favorite/least favorite writing: Favorite: poems and research papers; Least favorite: applications

Part of speech you would be and why: Semicolon! No one understands how to use it, but it is incredibly effective.

Hobbies: Writing, reading, leading, personality tests

Maggie

Hometown: Lincoln

Year of Study: Junior

Major(s): English

Minor(s): Digital Humanities and Anthropology

Future Life Plans: I want two cats and two dogs and to pursue a career in literary publishing.

Superhero Name: The Freezermancer

Favorite Piece of Writing: Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner

Favorite/least favorite writing: I don't like writing cover letters! It's so stressful!

Part of speech you would be and why: I would be an em dash--I'm constantly interrupting myself to add new information.

Hobbies: I'm an amateur musician, I love point-and-click adventure games, and I have an intense emotional connection to my bicycle.

Meredith

Hometown: Elk Point, SD (a blip on the map!)

Year of Study: Junior

Major(s): English, Philosophy, and Theatre

Future Life Plans: To pursue a career in publishing or editing somewhere in the Midwest, and to have lots of cats

Superhero Name: Cat Woman (but not like the other Catwoman; just a woman who has lots of cats)

Favorite Piece of Writing: Anything by Tom Robbins, especially Jitterbug Perfume

Favorite/least favorite writing: Poetry 

Part of speech you would be and why: I would be a semicolon - a little pretentious, but very helpful; strong, but not too divisive. ;)

Hobbies: Theater, video games, studyblr, animals, reading, creative writing, and working with kids and teens

Kathryn

Hometown: Omaha, NE

Year of Study: Sophomore

Major(s): English major

Minor(s): Digital Humanities and Math minors

Future Life Plans: Become an editor for a book publishing company and own lots of dogs!

Superhero Name: Phantom Phonetix

Favorite Piece of Writing: Angel of the Bridge by John Cheever

Favorite/least favorite writing: Least favorite: lab reports (I used to be a physics major)

Part of speech you would be and why: Semicolon because I use them a lot, and I think they are a unifying force; they bring together two separate sentences into one!

Hobbies: playing guitar and uke, reading, writing, running, listening to jams

Simone

Pronouns: she/her

Hometown: Madison, SD

Year of Study: Sophomore

Major(s): History/ English

Minor(s): Women's & Gender Studies/ Digital Humanities

Future Life Plans: Law School

Superhero Name: Comma Splice

Favorite Piece of Writing: There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé by Morgan Parker

Favorite/least favorite writing: Outlines

Part of speech you would be and why: An em dash or a comma, because run-on sentences are kind of my thing.

Hobbies: Singing, biking, reading, writing (surprise), playing tennis, spending time outside, hanging out with friends

Olivia

Hometown: Blair, Nebraska

Year of Study: Sophomore

Major(s): Criminology/Criminal Justice

Minor(s): English, Political Science, Psychology

Future Life Plans: Law School to be a Prosecutor or Graduate School to be a therapist

Superhero Name: Kanye West

Favorite Piece of Writing: Beloved by Toni Morrison

Favorite/least favorite writing: My least favorite writing is probably any academic or expository writing. I really enjoy writing where I have more of an artistic license and a looser structure.

Part of speech you would be and why: I would definitely choose to be the oxford comma. I have gotten in actual fights with people over the use of this comma so I believe that getting to be it would be an excellent experience for me. Use the Oxford Comma. Unless you're a journalist, and that is an argument for another time.

Hobbies: Art, reading, listening to music, tennis

Isaac

Hometown: Hastings, NE

Year of Study: Sophomore

Major(s): Secondary English Language Arts Education

Future Life Plans: Simply put, I want to be an educator!

Superhero Name: Isaac Wahlmeier, because I am already a super hero. (JK)

Favorite Piece of Writing: "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas

Favorite/least favorite writing: My favorite writing assignments are definitely literary analysis papers because I love hearing what other people have to say about a work of literature! I also love reading people's creative writing, whether it is poetry, fiction, or anything else!

Part of speech you would be and why: I think that the English language needs a punctuation mark that denotes sarcasm. I would be that punctuation mark.

Hobbies: Reading, writing (duh), hiking and all things that are relativly outdoors-y, baking, cooking, and making other people laugh or smile!

Nicole Green

Hometown: Omaha, NE

Year of Study: PhD Student

Major(s): Composition/Rhetoric, Literacy Studies, and Secondary English Teacher Development

Future Life Plans: In 5 years Nicole hopes to be teaching at a small liberal arts college and researching alongside secondary Language Arts teachers in order lobby for improved secondary education policy. In the event this falls through, her back-up plan involves becoming the first equestrian ever to win America's Got Talent.

Superhero Name: That Girl with Pumpkin

Favorite Piece of Writing: Reading Nancy Meyers, "On Being a Cripple" as a college freshmen irrevocably changed Nicole's life. Fifteen years later it--along with David Sedaris's work--continue to be her most beloved writing models.

Favorite/least favorite writing: While she loves working with others on personal statements and application materials, Nicole loathes having to write them herself!

Part of speech you would be and why: Because it is arguably the most versatile and accommodating piece of punctuation--always allowing writers to squeeze in more ideas, more thought, where they otherwise would not fit--Nicole would be the em dash (--).

Hobbies: When not consulting or teaching writing in Andrews, Nicole chasing the horizon on horseback, baking cookies to mail to friends, forcing her German Shepard to snuggle with her, and practicing her deep devotion to NPR podcasts!

Katie McWain

Hometown: Kansas City, MO

Year of Study: PhD Student

Major(s): English, Composition, and Rhetoric

Future Life Plans: Professing

Superhero Name: Bones

Favorite Piece of Writing: It changes all the time!

Favorite/least favorite writing: I enjoy braided essays, lists, and blogs.

Part of speech you would be and why: Can I choose caps lock?

Hobbies: Coffee, Netlix, puppies

Anne N.

Pronouns: she/her

Hometown: Kearney, NE (We've got that glorious arch)

Year of Study: PhD Student

Major(s): Nineteenth-century British literature

Future Life Plans: To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

Superhero Name: Dreams Girl (because I study literary dreams)

Favorite Piece of Writing: The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Favorite/least favorite writing: I enjoy writing most when there isn't a structured prompt or the feeling that a certain "right" answer is expected of me.

Part of speech you would be and why: The em-dash (long dash), both because it allows for interjections-- adding a multiplicity of thought-- and for its sense of poetic pause, breathlessness, anticipation--

Hobbies: Podcasts, yoga, jazz, dreams

Madelyn

Hometown: Edinburgh

Year of Study: PhD Student

Major(s): English literature

Future Life Plans: Become a professor of Gothic literature and film

Superhero Name: The Overachiever

Favorite Piece of Writing: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Favorite/least favorite writing: Favorite: critical film or literature analysis; Least favorite: one-page responses to readings

Part of speech you would be and why: An interrobang - the question mark and exclamation point combined - because I have lots of questions and am very enthusiastic about them

Hobbies: Playing video games, hanging out with my cat, watching scary movies

Stevie

Pronouns: she/her

Hometown: southern California

Year of Study: PhD Student

Major(s): English (Literary and Cultural Studies)

Minor(s): Women's and Gender Studies

Future Life Plans: Just keep livin'

Superhero Name: Stevie Wonder Woman

Favorite Piece of Writing: Bachelor Nation manifesto

Favorite/least favorite writing: Personal Statement

Part of speech you would be and why: Long dash, because there's always more to be said.

Hobbies: Fine cigars, craft beer, trashy television

Visnja

Hometown: Kikinda, Serbia

Year of Study: PhD Student

Major(s): English, Ethnic Studies

Minor(s):

Future Life Plans: Teaching literature 

Superhero Name: Super Vi

Favorite Piece of Writing: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz 

Favorite/least favorite writing: Favorite - Literary analysis! Least favorite - definitely Lab reports

Part of speech you would be and why: I would say question mark - I'm curious by nature and I'm always asking tons of questions especially about the things I'm interested in and excited about. 

Hobbies: Reading, writing, running, cooking, traveling

Anne Johnson

Pronouns: she/her

Hometown: Omaha

Year of Study: Masters Student

Major(s): Composition and Rhetoric

Future Life Plans: Some big assemblage of emergency planning, queer theory, writing, and activism

Superhero Name: Captain Kickass

Favorite Piece of Writing: Maggie Nelson's The Argonauts and Margaret Laurence's The Diviners

Favorite/least favorite writing: My favorite things to write about are queer theory and blood draws.

Part of speech you would be and why: The em dash, of course, for its versatility and ability to add complexity to a sentence.

Hobbies: Emergency medicine, contact sports, pottery

Regan

Hometown: Petoskey, Michigan

Year of Study: Masters Student

Major(s): Composition & Rhetoric

Future Life Plans: Direct writing centers and drink coffee!

Superhero Name: Excitement Lady!

Favorite Piece of Writing: "6 to 8 Black Men" by David Sedaris--it is a laugh and half to read, and yes, as he mentions in it, the blind can legally hunt in Michigan!

Favorite/least favorite writing: I love critically analyzing fiction, but I hate writing about philosophy.

Part of speech you would be and why: The exclamation point! I am always excited about something!

Hobbies: Cooking, watching Parks and Recreation (Leslie is my hero), visiting breweries, writing to-do list, petting every cat I see.

Keshia

Hometown: Montevallo, Al

Year of Study: Masters Student

Major(s): Comp/ Rhet

Minor(s): Queer Feminist Rhetoric, Rhetoric of Social Media

Future Life Plans: Get my MA and PhD, become a Composition and Rhetoric professor.

Superhero Name: The Red Scare (actually a villian)

Favorite Piece of Writing: Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld

Favorite/least favorite writing: Favorite: Research projects, particularly ones that allow space for connections between past and present. Least Favorite: Literary Analysis that is limited to only one text.

Part of speech you would be and why: The Oxford Comma, because it takes the right type of person to appreciate me.

Hobbies: Reading, writing, bullet journaling, fandom, Netflix, pressing flowers (but I'm bad at gardening!), watching "Try Guys" videos.

Kathryn

Hometown: Omaha, NE

Year of Study: Masters Student

Major(s): Science in Chemistry

Minor(s): physics, math, and education

Future Life Plans: I'm going to become a high school chemistry teacher.

Superhero Name: The Average Everyday Citizen

Favorite Piece of Writing: This summer I read Pushout, a book by Monique Morris. It's totally changed my perspective on schools, and it has impacted my philosophy of teaching and my interactions with students of color.

Favorite/least favorite writing: I know this will make me sound crazy, but I love writing assignments that involve extensive literature reviews. I feel like I really learn a lot from these assignments, and I feel like a detective as I try to put the different puzzle pieces together to create a cohesive piece that really frames an argument.

Part of speech you would be and why: I would be an adjective because I love pieces of writing with excellent descriptions. I love when I am able to see and feel what the writer was experiencing. To write with that level of description is to be a true master of writing!

Hobbies: Cooking, Reading, Camping, Hiking, Cycling