New Faculty Profile: Jennifer Grouling

Last semester, the Ball State English Department began a short series to celebrate and profile our newest faculty members. This week, the department continues the series of new faculty profiles by featuring Dr. Jennifer Grouling. Continue reading below to see Dr. Grouling’s interview conducted by English intern Tyler Fields and don’t forget to see past profiles featuring Dr. Jason Gladstone, Dr. Susanna Benko,  Dr. Miranda Nesler, Dr. Maria Windell, Prof. Liz Whiteacre, Prof. John King, and Dr. Andrea Wolfe.

*Photo provided by Jennifer Grouling

Tyler Fields: Can you talk about what sparked your interest in Rhetoric & Composition?

Jennifer Grouling: I always wanted to teach writing, but I didn’t really realize that was a field. I was an undergraduate English education major, and I did teach high school for a little bit. But I really didn’t want to teach literature; I didn’t want to teach Romeo and Juliet for an entire quarter, which is what I was required to do. So when I went back to school for my M.A., I wasn’t exactly sure exactly where I wanted to take my interest in teaching. Once I realized that Rhetoric & Composition was an option, I thought, “that’s what I want to do. I want to teach writing.”

From the Archives: Debbie Mix Recommends “Moby-Dick” by Herman Melville

In the latest installment of our Recommended Reads series, we celebrate the end of the school year by bringing back a post from our archives by associate professor Dr. Debbie Mix. Below, Dr. Mix recommends her list of summer reads, headlined by Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick and followed by  several other fantastic books!

Eva Snider Recommends “She’s Not There” by Jennifer Finney Boylan

In the latest installment of our Recommended Reads series, Assistant Professor Eva Snider recommends She’s Not There by Jennifer Finney Boylan.

If there’s one book you read about what it means to struggle with gender identity—or really, with any identity—make it Jennifer Finney Boylan’s She’s Not There. She’s Not There is, at turns, joyful, hilarious, terrifying, poignant, and heartbreaking. It is, in a word, deeply human. Read this book if you are a fan of laughing, of wincing, of crying, of feeling.

Alumna Jessica Husek on Her Career in Advertising and an Internship Opportunity at Her Firm!

In our latest post, Ball State alumna Jessica Husek discusses how her interest in writing led her to a career as a copywriter at Miller Brooks, an Indianapolis advertising firm. She notes that, in addition to particular advertising skills, copywriters need to have strong creative and critical writing abilities. Continue below to read about Jessica’s experience at Miller Brooks as well as the firm’s exciting internship program.

It might not be your first thought when you’re thinking about what you’ll do with a writing/English degree. But I’ve found advertising to be a constantly challenging and equally rewarding way to flex my writing muscle.

Carrie Duke Recommends “Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor” by Rob Nixon

Carrie Duke has taken the scenic route to graduate school.  She has spent the past 13 years teaching part-time and traveling to every continent in the world except Antarctica (which is on her bucket list). In her previous life, she also worked as a horticulturist, and now she brings her love of nature into her study of literature by concentrating on ecocriticism. Today, Carrie’s back in graduate school at Ball State as a third year Ph.D. student studying 19^th century American literature. Read below as Carrie recommends Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor by Rob Nixon.

Creative Writing in the Community: A Ball State Student’s Experience

English 409, Creative Writing in the Community, is an immersive service learning class here at Ball State. In the class, Ball State students work collaboratively with community partners from various facilities to create poems and stories. The class culminates in a printed anthology and a public reading of the imaginative works. On Thursday, April 18, Creative Writing in the Community will hold a public reading of the collaborative poems and stories at 6:30 PM in Cornerstone Center for the Arts. The public is welcome for the free event!

The following is one student’s recent experience in the class. This post is written by BSU student, Liz Janoson.

*Cover of the 2013 Issue of the Creative Writing in the Community Anthology

Michael Meyerhofer Recommends “Plum(b)” by Kim Triedman

In the latest installment of our Recommended Reads series, assistant professor Michael Meyerhofer recommends Plum(b) by Kim Triedman.

There are certain things I tend to repeat so often, my students probably want to take those Little Debbie snack cakes I sometimes toss around the room and throw them back at my head.  One of those phrases (“Art should be entertaining, regardless of subject matter”) is pretty obvious, but I think that phrase can very easily get us into trouble unless it’s matched with another one: “Entertainment alone probably isn’t adequate justification.”  Put another way, it seems to me (hear that? Yeah, that’s me scrabbling up on my soapbox again) that the best art is the stuff that uses humor, creative leaps, or even shock value for some purpose beyond simply getting the reader to raise her/his eyebrow.  In other words, getting (and keeping) your audience’s attention is critical, but what’s the point of getting an audience’s attention if you don’t have anything to say?

By these admittedly vague and totally subjective standards, though, Kim Triedman is definitely on my Cool List.