Writing Center Staff
JEPH NOVAK
Jeph Novak is a senior at UMM studying English, which is where his passion for writing and working with writing came from. He jumps at any opportunity he gets to write and loves how writing can bring two strangers together; whether it's talking about paper ideas or constructing the perfect sentence, he loves it all. Jeph also works as a copy editor at the University Register and is always up for talking about anything related to English, baseball, or how to get him rich quick, so please stop by if you have any ideas (or need help with your paper)!
MOLLY SHOOP
Only stepping in the Humanities building when absolutely necessary, Molly adds to the mix of students involved with the Writing Center who are foreign to the English major as a girl with her eyes dead set on a degree in Psychology. Her scholarly pursuits are overshadowed, perhaps only, by the fact that Molly is your friend. Indeed, friendship is one of her most defining characteristic traits, ranking equally with her knack for making references to 80s cult films nobody has seen and staying up long hours of the night listening to her friend’s problems. Molly has more passions than a centipede has feet, but a few of her most notable ones are her writing a fictional book about the end of humanity carrying on from work done with the UMM literary magazine Floating World, grassroots political activism / assorted family fun with the campus’ Queer Devil Worshipers for a Better Future, and rolling around on her bedroom floor in sync with the bass lines featured on Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly. Molly is especially interested in helping writers find their voice, add / subtract the right content to meet pesky word count requirements, and organize papers as a whole. Be anything but nervous when it comes to requesting time with her at the Writing Center.
MEGAN STEBLAY
A senior English and Environmental Science double major, Megan not-so-secretly wishes she were a Disney princess. She makes up for this unlikelihood, however, by composing her own stories where she can write about royals galore. She also loves birds (and not just because it's the princess thing to do), so if you ever need some cheering up, ask her to show you a funny bird video. On campus, you might spot her in the piano practice-rooms or out and about with her camera. Megan is happy to assist with any stage of your writing, from coaxing out your document-shy ideas to firming up a finished product.
TRINA VUE
As a senior English major, Trina sees writing as a wild journey with successes and failures all bundled into one. She understands the struggle of staring at a blank page with no ideas, or the joys that come with bursts of writing inspiration. When she's not taking long naps, you can find her in the library "studying" or on the mall reading a good book. She loves being a part of a writer's journey, so don't be shy to come by with just your ideas and a notebook, or a full draft needing another set of eyes!
JOSH JOHNSON, INTERIM WRITING CENTER DIRECTOR
Josh teaches courses about academic and creative writing (and sometimes about other fun stuff, like science fiction, fantasy, and the environment). He's the person to talk to for help with personal statements for graduate school; he can also help writers start and revise papers for any class, from WLA to senior seminar. When he's not in the classroom or the Writing Center, Josh can be found hanging out with his family, reading a good book, or working on his novel. As someone who knows well the pains of writing, he's more than happy to help (or commiserate) with writers feeling stuck.