Pieces from
WRITING PRACTICES
Theories of Writing
WRIT 2000: Theories of Writing - "Thoughts on a Rock"
This was a creative nonfiction piece I wrote for a class on writing theories. The instructions for the assignment were to find an artifact in my local area and write a piece about it. We were advised to research the object first and then consider those facts with its history (imagined or otherwise), also thinking about what broader ideas that artifact could represent. I really loved this assignment, as it was a chance to write about something tangible, and I think I ended up caring more about the final product because of that. I now also notice rocks more than I ever had before. You can read the piece ˚｡here ⋆.
Theory, History, and Research
WRIT 2555: Diverse Rhetorics - "What's on a Natural Grocers' Bag?"
I wrote this piece for a diverse rhetorics class, which focused on rhetorical practices from diverse communities. This writing assignment was similar to the one above, in that we were instructed to pick an artifact and write about its broader significance in the world. The artifacts were meant to be representative of a culture we were a part of, so I chose a Natural Grocers bag to represent the "natural foods" community. This was not my favorite piece of writing, but I thought the assignment was a good opportunity to think more deeply about how culture affects a person's perspective and therefore their rhetorical practices. You can read the piece ˚｡here ⋆.
Applied Writing
Found in Translation: The Practice of Translating Literature - Translation Portfolio
This portfolio was the final project for a translation class I took while studying abroad at the University of York. We were asked to pick a work that had not been translated before and submit a 2000-word translation of it, prefaced by a 1000-word introduction. Because my German is mediocre at best, I chose a children's book called Neues von Herrn Bello by Paul Maar and translated the prologue and first chapter. I was really proud of this portfolio, as it was my first time translating a text outside of a language class. I liked it so much that I would like to continue my language studies so that I can hopefully try more translations. You can read the portfolio ˚｡here ⋆.
Writing Design and Circulation
Writ 3500: Writing Design and Circulation - Revision
We had two major assignments for the capstone course of my writing minor—one of which is this very portfolio! The other was a revision assignment, where we took one of our older pieces and rewrote it in a different genre. The piece I chose was from an American Gothic literature class, which was an analysis of comedy in gothic fiction, and turned it into an interview-style podcast. This was an interesting assignment, as it made me think about how different genres convey information differently, and I liked being able to rethink a more academic essay into an informal podcast setting. You can take a look at both pieces ˚｡here ⋆.