Writing Center Staff
CORINNE MCCUMBER
A junior English major and soon-to-be Medieval Studies minor, Corinne loves the stories that make up and influence people's lives. She sees writing as a constant battle, for it is a skill she has acquired and maintained with much difficulty and diligence; which may be part of why she loves it. When she isn't vanquishing poor grammar or defending against logical fallacies, Corinne can be seen around campus performing with the improv comedy troupe Sports Team, practicing her viola for the Chamber Orchestra, handling horses with the Saddle Club, or playing Dungeons and Dragons with her friends. Whether you need help deciphering a prompt, overcoming the blank page in front of you, venting your anger about APA formatting, re-structuring your argument, fine-tuning your conclusion, or anything in between, set up a meeting with her. She's more than happy to help you conquer your writing foes.
JAKE MILLER
As a junior English and German Studies major, Jake has been called a “language guy.” While he’s not quite sure that’s true, he does love to read and write, either for one of his English courses or independently. He’s been told many times to quit wasting time on video games, though he hasn’t yet (he’ll play a round of Super Smash Bros with anybody), and when he can get out of the room he also enjoys cross country skiing when it’s snowy and running when it’s not. He’d be happy to help with any writing-related concerns, and extra happy to work on writing with a creative bend!
ANDREW POTACH
Andrew is a Junior pursuing a history major with a minor in Spanish, and has significant experience as an academic writer. He can assist with any part of the writing process: brainstorming ideas for a paper, helping to revise a draft, or simply giving a second look at a piece of writing. Andrew believes that the process of writing is an act of discovery, and even students who feel confident with their skills might find something new after a visit to the Writing Center. Andrew is professional and courteous, and looks forward to meeting new writers every Wednesday night. Outside of writing, his hobbies include watching films by great directors, playing Chopin, and reading.
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 sophomore 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.
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 comiserate) with writers feeling stuck.