Interim Deans of Humanities and Fine Arts Dr. Lynn Alexander and Dr. David Coffey
Chair of the Department of English and Modern Foreign Languages Dr. Lynn Alexander
Writing Center Coordinators Anna Clark and Jenna Wright
Writing Center Consultants Mary Beard has a B.A. in History and English and a M.Ed. with a concentration in English. She has also had training in teaching English as a Second Language. Mary has been writing and teaching English in Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Georgia, Tennessee, and Korea since 1965. She has taught Intensive English and composition courses at UTM. In addition to working in the writing center, Mary owns a stained glass business, Glass by Mary. Other activities include First United Methodist Church Chancel choir, the Philharmonic Music Guild, and the UTM Choral Society. One book that Mary likes to use is Fawcett and Sandberg's Grassroots because it explains the grammar clearly and shows "how to get started" as well as providing essays that encourage readers to respond to them in writing.
Tiffany Emerson graduated from UT Martin as a University Scholar. She also recieved a master's degree from UT Martin and completed a second master's degree from Murray State University.
Steve Flowers majored in English with a minor in history at UTM. He taught English, history, and communications classes for over thirty years in the public school system. He continues to be active in The Tennessee Retired Teachers Association and is treasurer of his local affiliate. Elements of Style by Strunk and White has long been a resource while The Lie That Tells a Truth by John Dufresne is a new favorite.
Sue Lain Graves has worked in the Writing Center for the past twenty years. She is a graduate of Union University and is a former teacher. She has taught composition courses for the Department of English.
DiAnn Perry is a graduate of UT Martin and is from Union City. She has taught in both the Obion County School System and the Union City School System. She is a member of Second Baptist Church where she serves as organist and handbell director. Mrs. Perry is married and the mother of Meredith Brown, a certified nurse practitioner, and Cheryl Perry, a neotatal intensive care nurse. She enjoys spending time with her two grandsons, Caleb and Nathan Brown. A book located in the writing center that she finds to be very helpful is A Writer's Resource.
Beth Walker has worked in the English Writing Center since 1998, while teaching a variety of writing and literature classes for UT Martin, Dyersburg State, and Jackson State. She graduated from UT Martin with a B.A. in English in 1991 and from UT Knoxville with an M.A. degree in 1994. She is a published poet whose works have appeared in numerous books and journals. Currently, she is teaching Business Communication and finishing her second master's degree in interdisciplinary studies. Beth says, "Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style is a brief, easy-to-use classic used by generations of college students and professional writers alike. I re-read this handbook every year and feel strongly that our English majors and minors should do the same. Although it’s only eighty pages or so, The Elements of Style can explain almost any grammatical rule or usage problem, and I defer to its wisdom often in the Writing Center. Applying the simple advice from this book will certainly improve your writing. You can access the original 1918 text at bartleby.com/141/, or you can browse our new fourth edition in the Writing Center, but then you will want your own copy, available cheaply at bookstores everywhere."
Student Assistants Tyler Baggett is a sophomore English major from Clarksville, TN. He hopes to continue his education by going to graduate school. Tyler is involved with the Baptist Collegiate Ministry on campus and he is currently serving on its student council. He enjoys writing and is enrolled in Fiction Workshop this semester. For creative writers he recommends The Lie that Tells a Truth by John Dufresne. Tyler is the assistant webmaster for the Writing Center and will become webmaster after Sam Stephens graduates in December 2009.
Sarah Brunstad is an English major from Smyrna, TN. She is also working on a Communications minor with hopes of becoming an editor. She loves to read and write; to help her when writing, she has found the MLA handbook invaluable. She also uses a website called grammargirl.com for quick grammar tips and questions. She spends most of her free time having fun with friends and reading novels. She is currently reading a novel called Atonement, which was recently recreated as a movie. It is an excellent novel, telling a story of war, love, and forgiveness. She loves to help others become better writers, so drop by the Writing Center and see her!
Misty Dunlap is a proud English major and philosophy minor who hails from nearby Dresden, TN.. She hopes to focus on creative writing in graduate school, to which she will be taking along her handy, dandy MLA handbook and a good thesaurus. She is a fan of Plath and Palahniuk, vegetarian advocacy, and new music to go on her iPod playlists. Her favorite works are The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Time Traveler’s Wife. She believes Shakespeare was a real person. As a user as well as student staff member of the center, she is happy to help other students reach the blissful relief of finishing a writing assignment.
Kate Hein is an English major from Clarksville, TN. She enjoys all aspects of theatre, as well as creating elaborate stir-fry dishes that typically end in disaster. She is currently reading Love and Garbage by Ivan Klima. Her favourite writer is Tennessee Williams, and her favourite play of his is Summer & Smoke. He is also her favourite poet. She recommends that Freshmen read as much as they can because that's really important in developing writing skills. She also recommends the book Writing Down the Bones, and there's an illustrated edition of The Elements of Style that is her best friend. She also recommends getting Quotationary; She's found it very useful in finding quotes for essays and birthday cards.
Stacey Richardson is an English major who has just joined the Writing Center staff. Among her many other classes this semester, she is taking English 425 - Advanced Grammar. She is ready to help anyone who comes to the center.
Ann Stedman is a senior English major, International Studies minor, from Nashville. She is helping students with creative writing projects in the writing center. She is a part of the Reformed University Fellowship and goes to the Writer's Guild when her studies allow. In future she hopes to become a writer and possibly a college professor one day. She would recommend the MLA handbook for students who are taking English. A great book is I Am Mordred by Nancy Springer because this book has inspired her to become a writer.
Sam Stephens is a senior English major, Communications minor, from Dyersburg. He is currently working as webmaster for the writing center website. He is also heading up Talk Time for ESL students. He is heavily involved in the Baptist Collegiate Ministry on campus, and is serving as the Men's Ministry intern. He enjoys participating in local and foreign mission trips and hopes to work with full time missionaries in the future. He enjoys reading, hiking, swimming, traveling, and writing. He recommends Perrine's Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense for any student, English major or otherwise. For a good read, he recommends George Orwell's 1984. |