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.”

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.

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