The PDC wanted to continue to spotlight some of our Writing Program faculty! We’re so glad to have you as part of the program!
Madeline Lane-McKinley
How long have you been teaching in general?
I started teaching as a TA in 2008, when I was a Literature grad student at UCSC.
When did you start teaching for the Writing Program?
Before I joined the WP faculty in 2016, I taught as a Graduate Student Instructor for a couple years — Heather taught me Writing 203! I really appreciate that she encouraged me to apply for a job after I got my PhD.
Have you taught at/do you teach for any other programs here at UCSC besides Writing? For any programs outside of UCSC?
For a couple years I was a part of the Porter faculty as well.
What brought you to teaching (in general and/or here at UCSC)?
I love reading, writing, and discussing ideas. Can’t think of a better thing to do with my life than teach! It never gets boring.
What is your favorite spot here at UCSC?
Chadwick Gardens
What do you like to do outside of teaching?
I write. And I watch a lot of movies with my kid. And I’m a very slow long-distance runner.
Any fun facts about yourself?
When my book came out in 2022 it was included as one of the best books on comedy by Vulture Magazine. My book was listed between Kevin Nealon’s memoir and a book written by Steve Martin! Kind of a trip.
Do you have any human, fur, or plant babies? If so, tell us a little about them.
Besides my super rad kid who’s about to be a teenager (!!!!!) I’ve got a couple dogs (Stella and Mona) and a couple cats (Mega and Cosmo). And I’ve acquired way too many houseplants since the pandemic.
Do you have a website (of your art, writing, research, teaching, etc.) that you’d like to share? Or an announcement about any personal publications or presentations you’d like us to make? If so, please include applicable information below.
I have a book coming out this year which I co-authored with my friend Max Fox called Fag/Hag (Rosa Press). Next year I have a book coming out with Haymarket Press called “Solidarity with Children: An Essay Against Adult Supremacy”.
Brij Lunine
How long have you been teaching in general?
Over thirty years
When did you start teaching for the Writing Program?
Fall, 1998
Have you taught at/do you teach for any other programs here at UCSC besides Writing? For any programs outside of UCSC?
American Studies, Environmental Studies, Literature, Stevenson, Cowell, Kresge & College Nine, UCSC Extension
What brought you to teaching (in general and/or here at UCSC)?
I had a vague idea I wanted to teach when I was an undergraduate. I worked at a junior high school before deciding to pursue a Ph.D. in American Studies. We came to UCSC for my wife to get her Ph.D. in literature. Although Michelle grew up here we didn’t intend to stay. Michelle ended up getting a CLIR postdoc at Berkeley, she then worked as a librarian for Stanford, Cañada Community College, and is now the head instructional librarian at Cabrillo (where she was a student).
What is your favorite spot here at UCSC?
Twin Gates–the crossroads where Chinquapin road crosses Empire Grade.
What do you like to do outside of teaching?
Read, bicycle, camp, hike, cook, spend time with my wife and children, work on our continual project of a house. Looking forward to traveling more!
Any fun facts about yourself?
Proud Berkeley High School (1986) & Evergreen State College alumnus (1990). I got to see a lot of musicians that I didn’t appreciate at the time but ended up becoming quite influential (Too Short, Digital Underground, Sleater-Kinney, Nirvana in the dorms, etc….Kathleen Hanna was in my core class). Having moved around the country a lot as a kid I’ve always been interested in subcultures, their histories, and how they form and morph as a response to the dominant culture.
Do you have any human, fur, or plant babies? If so, tell us a little about them.
Oscar, 22, lives in Happy Valley and works at Tomatero Farms in Watsonville; Neva, 20, is studying Spanish and Public Policy at UCLA; Burger the cat, 13+, Maine Coon, getting cranky but still full of personality. Neva will be studying at the University of Barcelona Fall semester, 2024–we hope to visit her in December.
Is there anything else you want to share that would be fun to publish on The Rhetorical Situation?
When I started teaching here twenty-six years ago I thought a) it would only be for a couple of years and b) there was no way I could teach six or seven classes a year. “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.”
Ellen Newberry
How long have you been teaching in general?
Thirty years
When did you start teaching for the Writing Program?
Have you taught at/do you teach for any other programs here at UCSC besides Writing? For any programs outside of UCSC?
What brought you to teaching (in general and/or here at UCSC)?
What is your favorite spot here at UCSC? Or in the world?
What do you like to do outside of teaching?
Any fun facts about yourself?
Tina Osborne
How long have you been teaching in general?
24 years
When did you start teaching for the Writing Program?
I was hired about 2 weeks before the start of COVID.
Have you taught at/do you teach for any other programs here at UCSC besides Writing? For any programs outside of UCSC?
I’ve been teaching English at Cabrillo since 2003 and I taught English as a Second Language at various adult schools from 1999 until 2011. I also taught business English in Germany for a year.
What brought you to teaching (in general and/or here at UCSC)?
I was a banana slug back in 1994 when I fell in love with UCSC. I realized I was meant to be a teacher while hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.
What is your favorite spot here at UCSC? In the world?
I love exploring and biking around in the woods behind campus. My favorite spot in the world is swimming in a lake in a secret place called the “lost sister” to Tuolumne Meadows.
What do you like to do outside of teaching?
I’m usually with my kids – watching them play baseball or water polo or hiking, biking, and playing on the beach with them. When I get me-time, I like to do yoga, read, jog or swim.
Any fun facts about yourself?
My daughter and I are hoping to swim from Alcatraz to San Francisco on June 16 – come cheer us on!
Do you have any human, fur, or plant babies? If so, tell us a little about them.
I have two kiddos. My 10-year-old son, Denali, loves baseball and scaring me with crazy jumps on his bike or scooter. My 12-year-old daughter, Skylar, plays water polo, loves hiking with me, and is glued to books on tape.
Sarah-Hope Parmeter
How long have you been teaching in general?
Since 1982
When did you start teaching for the Writing Program?
Fall 1985
Have you taught at/do you teach for any other programs here at UCSC besides Writing? For any programs outside of UCSC?
Lots of things over the years: Central California Writing Project; PVUSD, SCCS, and various education and credentialing groups, including the Ed. Dept. at UCSC; COSMOS; Summer Bridge.
What brought you to teaching (in general and/or here at UCSC)?
The joy of trying to figure out how someone’s brain works so I can explain a concept to them effectively. I stopped working on a Lit. degree and switched over to focusing on teaching college comp. One of the best choices I’ve ever made.
What is your favorite spot here at UCSC? In the world?
My office at Merrill; my (rather chaotic) home.
What do you like to do outside of teaching?
Read, commune with cats, cook and eat delicious food, post-carding for political campaigns, planting veggies in the spring, napping.
Any fun facts about yourself?
Favorite musical genres: Early Music and Metal.
Do you have any human, fur, or plant babies? If so, tell us a little about them.
Three cats: Darla, who rules the universe and compels us with the power of her mind; Charlie, who is very nervous and loud; Salty, who teaches me about joy every single day.
Is there anything else you want to share that would be fun to publish on The Rhetorical Situation?
Retirement plans: fostering kittens and making dark chocolate barks with savory/spicy ingredients.
Nirshan Perera
How long have you been teaching in general?
Since about 2005!
When did you start teaching for the Writing Program?
As a GSI in Fall 2011!
Have you taught at/do you teach for any other programs here at UCSC besides Writing? For any programs outside of UCSC?
I have taught at Oakes Core since 2012 but I am switching over to just working for the WP starting next year.
What brought you to teaching (in general and/or here at UCSC)?
I did my graduate degree in the Lit Ph.D. program here at UCSC and I applied to be a GSI towards the end. Brij was one of my mentor teachers in Writing 203 before I started teaching as a grad student instructor for the WP! After I graduated, I took a little break but I reapplied to the WP’s lecturer pool around 2017 and it’s been wonderful to be a part of this colleague community!
What is your favorite spot here at UCSC?
I love running in the trails off the fire station–I sometimes get lost!
What do you like to do outside of teaching?
I run, spend time with my kids, and have been learning to surf for some time now.
Any fun facts about yourself?
I used to be a journalist. I also teach high school English in town.
Do you have any human, fur, or plant babies? If so, tell us a little about them.
I have two teenagers. My daughter Zadie is going off to college next year! My daughter Zoe loves drama. Both are bookworms.
Do you have a website (of your art, writing, research, teaching, etc.) that you’d like to share? Or an announcement about any personal publications or presentations you’d like us to make? If so, please include applicable information below.
This is a piece I wrote recently about my high school teaching: https://muse.jhu.edu/article/862654/pdf
