Transcript Episode 14

Joining us for this episode is Natalie Madruga, Instructor in writing and Rhetoric at the University of Central Florida. 

Natalie’s research interests include eulogistic rhetoric, public memory and memorialization, critical race theory, cultural rhetorics, and writing pedagogy, with a pedagogical philosophy centered on a foundation in testimonio. Natalie was published in 2023 in Writers:Craft and Context with the article “ What it’s like to lose Papi: A counterstory on Grief''. Natalie was chosen for HSI Faculty Fellowship through the Office for Hispanic Serving Institution Initiatives for the 23-24 academic year, working with the Title 5 POTENCIAL grant to design and implement the faculty development component of Project POTENCIAL.

Transcript Episode 13

We are joined today by Associate Professor in the Department of Writing and Rhetoric and Director of Writing Across the Curriculum in the Center for Writing Excellence both at the University of Central Florida, Dr. Laurie A. Pinkert.  In addition to these positions, Dr. Pinkert also coordinates an interdisciplinary fellowship-writing initiative that is supported by the College of Graduate Studies. 

Dr. Pinkert's research aims to better understand relationships between writing and identity and to develop approaches to writing program design, development, and administration that can support writerly identity development. 

Most recently Dr Pinkert has been at the forefront of developing an AI undergraduate certificate program within the College of Arts and Humanities in addition to coursework surrounding AI and the teaching of writing.

Transcript Episode 12

UCF Department of Writing and Rhetoric faculty members Blake Scott and Nathan Holic discuss their project "Strengthening Hospital Nurses’ Mental Health Resilience Through a Peer Support Training Program Using Comic Testimonials" which focused on introducing comic therapy to healthcare professionals. This won the 2021 Pabst Steinmetz Foundation Arts and Innovation Award. 

Transcript Episode 11

At UCF, the Department of Writing and Rhetoric holds an annual event called Knights Write Showcase to celebrate the work of student writers. In this special episode we talk with several participants from the poster and panel presentations. The students and work featured in this episode are:

Transcript Episode 10

Anthony Lince is a Latinx educator and scholar, and is currently a lecturer at University of California San Diego and other local institutions, teaching rhetoric and writing studies courses. His current work is focused on equitable assessment practices in higher education, which is the praxis in his courses where he utilizes labor-based grading. Anthony has published the journals California English and WPA Writing Program Administration, and has an upcoming chapter released in Effective Alternative Assessment Practices in Higher Education. 

Transcript Episode 9

Dr. Jeremy Carnes is a Postdoctoral Scholar here at UCF specializing in Indigenous rhetorics, particularly visual and material rhetorics. He is working on his first book on comics by Indigenous creators and the rhetorical affordances of comics as a visual medium for considering land-based practices by Indigenous communities. In addition to indigenous rhetorics, Dr Carnes’ research interests include: Comics Studies, Media Studies, Fan Culture Studies, Translingualism, and the Digital Humanities. He is also currently working with Dr. Jamila Kareem, a past guest of ours on this podcast, on a grant funded by the Sam and Virginia Patz Foundation in partnership with the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

Transcript Episode 8

In this episode we talk with Jaclyn Gardiakos and Jessica Walters, who work in the field of professional writing and are both UCF Alumni. Jaclyn Gardiakos is the communications and public relations manager for Universal Engineering Sciences, the fastest-growing AEC firm in the US, and previously worked for Tupperware as a communications manager. Jessica Walters is a Content Strategist for Deloitte US, and similarly held a position with Tupperware as a content strategist. Our conversation touches on writing in professional environments, what it was like to be a part of the first DWR cohort of UCF, and the types of careers possible with a degree in writing. 

Transcript Episode 7

In this episode, we interrogate writing with Dr. Martha Brenckle, a full professor and the Interim First-Year Writing Program Director at UCF. With the creation of her new class “Queer Rhetorics and Queer Writing,” we break down what it means to disrupt the status quo and question long held rhetorical beliefs. Beyond that, we consider the often overlooked digital rhetorics, the role that professors are meant to play in writing disciplines, and the arduous creative process.

Join us in becoming academic theorists as we question everything and queer our writing.

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Transcript Episode 6

What does writing for social change entail? With Olivia Soloman, a junior at the University of Central Florida and a double major in Writing and Rhetoric and Political Science, we discuss using your writing to effect change, not just inspire awareness. Not only do we touch on courses such as ENC 4353 – Writing for Social Change and ENC 4354 - Writing with Communities and Nonprofits, but we also reflect on strategies to make your writing effective in the political sphere.

If you want to ensure your voice is heard or have a passion for politics, join us in this rhetorical inspection of activism.

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Transcript Episode 5

Gaining insight from Sebastian Garcia, a senior undergraduate at UCF completing a double major in History and Biomedical Sciences, we explore what it takes to tackle research in ENC 1102. It can be difficult to find a way to transfer high school writing skills to the new challenges placed by college classes, but we cover everything you may need to know beginning with the very first step of finding passion and inspiration. Sebastian was selected as a panelist for UCF’s Knights Write Showcase in Spring of 2021 with his article “Is the Advanced Placement (AP) Program Really ‘Advanced”? A Critical Textual Analysis of an AP United States History Textbook” and was also published in the Spring 2022 issue of Stylus: A Journal of First-Year Writing.

To learn more about crafting a college-level research paper, join us in this exploration of one student’s journey.

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