Spring Quarter 2024
Dear Writing Program Faculty and Staff,
The PDC wanted to take the time to thank you all for your dedication to our students and program. As a way to wrap up this intense year, we are celebrating our small joys. Thank you to all who participated in the end-of-the-year survey. We wish you all wonderful summers.
Lisa Schilz, PDC Chair
Steve Coulter
Dina El Dessouky
Contents
- Favorites Books, Podcasts, Movies, and TV Shows
- Summer Anticipations
- Accomplishments
Favorite Books, Podcasts, Movies, and TV Shows
Elizabeth Abrams
Maggie O’Farrell, Hamnet. Also her book The Marriage Portrait.
Maggie Amis
Favorite book: April Daniels Dreadnought; Most amusing interesting podcast: KillJamesBond!
Dev K. Bose
Bridgerton, The Bear, and Yellowjackets were my favorite TV series this year.
Gail Brenner
Necessary Trouble: Growing up in Midcentury by Drew Gilpin Faust.
Steve Coulter
This is Happiness by Niall Williams.
Dina El Dessouky
Nnedi Okorafor’s Who Fears Death.
Joy Hagan
I ❤️ the Indigenous film and TV renaissance. Marvel’s Echo is completely phenomenal! Although Echo suffered under right-wing cancel culture and was unpopular with Marvel’s audience demographic, you should judge for yourself. Season 3 of Rez Dogs has a delightfully non-Western story structure. Although my favorite individual episodes are in the earlier seasons, the arc of season three is exceptional.
Daniel Joesten
The novel Desperation by Stephen King. My dad passed away earlier this year and he was a huge King fan. It has been ages since I had read any of his books. It was a great way to feel close to my dad and read a really cool story.
Robin King
Elsbeth
Madeline Lane-McKinley
I’ve devoured Karina Longworth’s Hollywood history podcast You Must Remember This — and am desperate for a new season!
Brij Lunine
Book: The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, Shehan Karunatilaka; Film: Chimera.
Joseph Navarro
Language and Symbolic Power by Pierre Bourdieu.
Sara Nuila-Chae
I read Crying in H Mart this year (memoir). It was really moving, but super depressing.
Tina Osborne
So many…. good books about ADHD and anxiety to help my kids; historical fiction by Ken Follett; books for DEI; and books and movies about Alcatraz. 🙂
Sarah-Hope Parmeter
The Ghost Theatre; Three Fires; The Ice Harp; You Dreamed of Empires
Roxi Power
Fiction: Crossroads (Jonathan Franzen); Poetry: In a Few Minutes Before Later (Brenda Hillman); Criticism: A Long Essay on the Long Poem (Rachel Blau DuPlessis); Podcast: All the interviews at hivepoetry.org!
Kae Roybal
Either the Three Body Problem trilogy, though I think I actually finished it last year… and The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin (which I bought at Two Birds!).
Terry Terhaar
I read classic mysteries/detective stories in my spare time. Heywood Hill sends me a box (they select) every year and I’ve discovered some new gems! But I most enjoyed a piece of travel writing called The Salt Path. A “must read” for a walker like myself!
Amy Vidali
A few weeks ago I heard Michael McDonald interviewed on Fresh Air and fell in love with him (again?). I keep forgettin’ how awesome he is!
Tiffany Wong
The recent special three-part series on the Challenging Colonialism podcast by Martin Rizzo-Martinez and Daniel Stonebloom is phenomenal. Their podcast in general is excellent for anyone interested in indigenous Californian history: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/challenging-colonialism/id1612580017
Summer Anticipations
Elizabeth Abrams
My tomato, plum, and apple harvests, and more veggies from the garden! More reading. Some college-related work.
Maggie Amis
Plums, glorious plums.
Dev K. Bose
Spending most of my energy on teaching and writing.
Gail Brenner
After a year apart, visiting son Josh in Pasadena & our engaging chats, walks, dining. Strolling stunning Huntington Gardens & LA Museums. Having time to write, think, garden, relax.
Steve Coulter
I will be teaching Writing 2 again in Ireland for 5 weeks in June and July. This year my wife Rachel Goodman will join me there to teach a podcasting course for Crown College. Then we are off to the Pacific Northwest for hiking and music campouts.
Dina El Dessouky
My kids finally meeting their other grandmother who is traveling from Europe.
Joy Hagan
No Zoom! (At least, very little Zoom. By contrast to the end of Spring, it might as well be none at all!) Catching up with some family I haven’t seen in over a decade.
Daniel Joesten
Spending time with my family! My wife started a new job in the fall as a special needs school nurse and this is the first time we have the summer off with our kids.
Robin King
Hanging out with friends and reading novels. Going to visit a college BFF in New Port Beach soon, before Summer Session begins. First I plan to stop by Two Birds to get a few books.
Madeline Lane-McKinley
Camping trips!
Brij Lunine
Some free time, seeing kids visiting from college, camping, remodeling our kitchen, warm weather.
Sara Nuila-Chae
I am looking to R&R!
Tina Osborne
Time to catch up on life.
Sarah-Hope Parmeter
Getting enough sleep
Roxi Power
Annual road trip through the long empty spaces of NE and WY to CO. Family trip to Hawaii. Working on two books.
Kae Roybal
Annual road trip through the long empty spaces of NE and WY to CO. Family trip to Hawaii. Working on two books.
Terry Terhaar
A vacation.
Amy Vidali
Not having to hear about middle school. And my van.
Tiffany Wong
Rest.
Accomplishments
Elizabeth Abrams
Engaging in life outside of campus: planting a garden, renovating house, upholstering furniture. Watching my daughter transition to 4-year college. Serving as a trusted adult for beleaguered Hillel students.
Maggie Amis
Grew some riotous poppies on my sidewalk garden border.
Dev K. Bose
I have an article which was nominated to be in Parlor Press’s Best of Rhetoric and Composition. My kid is getting more comfortable in the water.
Gail Brenner
Getting myself and students through challenging spring term ’24; seeing my book on the shelves at Bookshop Santa Cruz; also following the growing success of son, Josh, reinventing himself in the LA music scene as promoter & band photographer.
Steve Coulter
I’m happy to be reducing my teaching and easing into retirement. I’m super excited about having more time to play music. I have a new duo project, myself on Celtic harp and an old friend on archguitar (something like a lute) recording a mix of Renaissance and Celtic music. And I love playing double bass in our Americana band, The Coast Ridge Ramblers.
Dina El Dessouky
Surviving! Volunteering a few times to coach Black Surf Santa Cruz! A successful Merit Review (Phew)! And watching my kid confidently deliver a speech at their promotion to middle school!
Joy Hagan
Despite a challenging couple of years, we made great progress restoring native habitat on the slope behind our home. It drains to a riparian area on Bear Creek upstream of the San Lorenzo River confluence. We’ve been rewarded with Pacific giant salamander sightings!
Daniel Joesten
Making it through the academic year and getting to know some truly incredible students along the way.
Robin King
Getting started on the WP DEI Coordinator position. Helping a friend get a teaching job for this ay so they could move from NYC to SC. Teaching a successful food politics course.
Madeline Lane-McKinley
My partner and I renovated our attic and now it’s my office. “Mad woman in the attic” jokes abound.
Brij Lunine
Developing Writing 2 curriculum. Keeping my sanity in hard times, helping students as best I can, winning a couple of bike races, helping my mom and kids (“sandwich” times).
Sara Nuila-Chae
Young Rhetoricians Conference is coming this June 20th.
Tina Osborne
Making it through the year!
Sarah-Hope Parmeter
Watching tomatoes grow.
Roxi Power
Publishing a poetry book, The Songs that Objects Would Sing; launch events at Bookshop Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Seattle, Kansas City, New Orleans, along with Neo-Benshi performances. Joined the Hive Poetry Collective and have been making podcasts (interviews with poets about their new books) and am on their Events Committee for local poetry readings at Bookshop Santa Cruz. New poetry book accepted for publication in 2024. Senior Continuing Appointment in the Writing Program (thank you, WP!). My daughter will be a senior next year! Always proud of her.
Kae Roybal
I led Reiki workshops at a local yoga studio, and also successfully completed a move to a new home in the middle of a very challenging term!
Terry Terhaar
I live in Bonny Doon, near the CZU burn scar. State Farm dropped all insurance policies in the area but I managed to get on the CA FAIR plan. It was not easy!
Amy Vidali
I saw my son through the first year of middle school. And I finished an article I had (somehow) been working on for eight years.
Tiffany Wong
Fellowship: Evidence for Equity, Faculty Fellowship Program, The Teaching and Learning Center, UCSC; Fellowship: UCSC’s Global Exchange (Global Classrooms/COIL: Collaborative Online International Learning); Conferences on College Composition and Communication (CCCCs), Grant for Contingent Faculty; Evidence for Equity, Faculty Fellowship Program Conference Grant, The Teaching and Learning Center, UCSC; Global Compassion Coalition: Compassion Corps, Cultivation Compassion Training (CCT) Grant; Presenter: “International Virtual Exchange: Equity and Inclusion for Educators and Students,” NAFSA: Association of International Educators Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA; Attendee: Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) Annual Convention, “Writing Abundance: Celebrating 75 Years of Conversations about Rhetoric, Composition, Technical Communication, and Literacy,” Spokane, Washington; Proposal Reviewer: NAFSA: Association of International Educators, Annual Conference and Expo, New Orleans, LA; Proposal Reviewer: CCCC 2025 Annual Convention, “Computer Love,” Baltimore, MD
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