Administration
The Writing Studio is an outreach service of the Department of English and the Writing Across the Curriculum program. The Studio is directed by a faculty member in Rhetoric and Composition, while the associate directors are doctoral students pursuing scholarly interests in writing program administration.
Nicole Turner, Associate Director of Technology and Finance
Pronouns: She/Her
Office: 2411, 25 Park Place
Contact: [email protected]
Nicole K. Turner is a Ph.D. student in Literary Studies and the Associate Director of Community and Professional Development of the Writing Studio at Georgia State University. Her work in Writing Center Studies and Literary Studies concentrates on entrenched colonial and patriarchal practices and ideals, specifically in Western discourses about trauma, mental health, and disability. Nicole has worked in writing centers since 2016 and is invested in the potential for writing centers as sites of personal, professional, and academic development, growth, and identification.
Tyrell Collins, Associate Director of Research and Community
Pronouns: He/Him
Office: 2411, 25 Park Place
Contact: [email protected]
Tyrell is a third-year Ph.D. student at GSU in Rhetoric and Composition. His work has appeared in places such as "Obsidian: Literature & Arts in the African Diaspora" "Journal of Education & Policy," "The New Engagement" and "Punctuate: a nonfiction magazine" Tyrell has previously worked in his undergrad's writing center and has four years of in-class teaching experience, and students cognitive and emotional development and personal achievement in their writing is always his number one goal from academic to creative work.
Admin Support
To support our admin and tutoring staff, we have admin assistants to support our outreach goals and budgeting/tech maintenance!
Dylan Maroney
Pronouns: Them/They
Contact: [email protected]
Writing Consultants
Our extensive staff has different skills and specialties that can help you reach your writing goals! Read below to learn a little more about our peer tutors:
Afshan Naaz
Pronouns: She/Her
Research area: Afshan is a first-year Ph.D. student in English with a specialization in Rhetorics and Composition. She has over 15 years of teaching experience. She holds a Masters degree in English Literature and a Bachelors degree in Education. Her goal as your tutor is to make your sessions supportive and tailored to your individual literacy needs and goals. She hopes your tutoring sessions will build your confidence and competence with reading, writing, and communication skills that apply to your academic studies, professional endeavors, and everyday life.
Alice Ashe
Pronouns: She/Her
Research area: After graduating from GSU with my MA in English (literary studies), I've returned to a pursue an MFA in poetry writing. I have multiple years' experience tutoring writing and teaching first-year composition, and in general I prefer to take an open and non-directive approach. I'm comfortable tutoring a wide variety of genres and areas, from technical research papers to creative writing projects.
Andrew Joiner
Pronouns: He/Him
Research area: Andrew is a first-year MA student in literary studies, with an interest in American and British Literature. He aims to create a comfortable and approachable tutoring environment and make writing feel more natural and accessible. His main goal in tutoring is to help each student find ways to clearly express their own ideas and voice. He is most comfortable with the MLA format, argumentative essays, research papers, annotated bibliographies and many other humanities assignments.
Cameron Carter
Pronouns: He/Him
Research area: Cameron is a writer, copyeditor, and English teacher with an interest in teaching creative writing. Previously, he's edited for several literary magazines, blogs, and websites. He has experience writing and editing in APA, MLA, and Chicago styles. Cameron is comfortable reviewing humanities-focused research essays, creative works (prose, poetry, screenplays, etc), and business documents. But is open to working with all materials!
Chris Ketchum
Pronouns: He/Him
Research area: Creative Writing
Chris is a poet, editor, and English teacher with a special interest in creative writing instruction. Before grad school, he worked as a full-time, 8th-grade English teacher in Las Vegas. He also taught community workshops for people affected by cancer, undergraduate poetry courses, and non-traditional English tutorials for secondary students. Chris is especially comfortable reviewing essays written for humanities courses, such as English, philosophy, and political science.
Courtney Causey
Pronouns: She/Her
Research area: Courtney is currently pursuing her PhD in English with a specialization in fiction writing. She's committed to helping each tutee find a voice true to themself, while making the art form of writing accessible and enjoyable. She's comfortable with MLA, creative writing, personal statements, argumentative and expository essays-- as well as ESL.
Elias Acuna
Pronouns: He/Him
Specialties: My research interests include Latinx studies, Chicanx studies, and borderland studies. I harbor a special interest for all things postcolonial and/or supernatural. I’m easy to talk to, and am willing to help with a broad range of different areas/styles of writing.
Emmy Brown
Pronouns: She/Her
Research area & Specialties: Southern & American Lit, MLA, personal statements, and first-year writing
Emmy is a second-year MA student in literary studies, focusing on nineteenth-century American literature. She has previous experience as an intern in a first-year writing course and undergraduate expertise in pedagogy and lesson planning. Her focus as a tutor is on first-year writing, literary theory, women's studies, and research papers (experience with MLA only). In Emmy's sessions, she creates an open conversation on the writing process, focusing on structure and organization.
Julia Li
Pronouns: She/Her
Research area: Julia is a first-year Ph.D. student in literary studies with a focus on women’s literature and life writing. She enjoys helping students bring out their own voices in their personal statements, research papers, and creative writing materials. She is also comfortable with handling ESL and MLA formatting.
Gabriella Kosatka Schuett
Pronouns: She/Her
Specialties: Research Papers
Gabriella is a second-year graduate student of English literature. Her research focuses on early modern British literature and classic mythology. She has a client-focused approach to tutoring and prefers tutees to come prepared with specific questions about their writing. She is most comfortable working in MLA style, but can assist with works in APA or Chicago if need be.
Ian Lindsay
Pronouns: He/Him
Research area: Ian Lindsay is a current Ph.D. candidate in English with a Creative Writing Concentration and holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Central Florida. Ian’s approach to tutoring is student and results-driven. He can assist with compositional essays—argumentative, persuasive, expository—and MLA, AP, and other style citations. His work has appeared in Pembroke Magazine, Solstice Magazine, Variant Literature, and more.
Jessica Lyons
Pronouns: She/Her
Specialties: Editorial & Copyediting
Jessica is a current graduate student pursuing an MA in Literary Studies. From her previous undergraduate institution, she received a BA in English and a BS in History and is comfortable writing and tutoring in both fields. She has experience presenting in conferences having most recently presented at the 2020 SAMLA Conference. Jessica has previous writing experience in editorial and copywriting having worked as an intern prior to coming to GSU.
Kai Walker
Pronouns: She/They
Research area: Kai is a first-year MA student in Rhetoric and Composition with an interest in history, cinema, and creative writing. They received their BS in Interdisciplinary Studies which gave them the experience of working with different departments and students. Their tutoring style can be described as a dynamic conversation.
Kaitlin Smith
Pronouns: She/Her
Specialties: Kaitlin Smith is a first-year MA student concentrating in Literary Studies. She studied creative writing (fiction) and classical studies at the undergraduate level. She believes tutoring is a way to foster community and creativity while challenging oneself academically. Areas of writing with which she is most comfortable are personal statements, anthropology, classics, women's history, and creative writing of any kind.
Kaleb Steadman
Pronouns: He/Him
Specialties: Research, APA, personal statements, resumes, creative writing
Kaleb is an incoming MA in the Lit Studies program. He approaches tutoring as one of collaboration and trust. The tutor and tutee should be able to have comfortable and open discourse about the goals the tutee has for the tutoring session. The tutoring might also consist of, if possible, instances of peer reviews so that the tutee might be able to gain insight into ways to increase the effectiveness of their assignment. Additionally, Kaleb is knowledgeable in the field of Psychology and very knowledgeable in the field of pop culture (film, television, music, and books/graphic novels).
Kelly Geiger
Pronouns: She/Her
Research area: Kelly is currently a PhD candidate in fiction, she and has an MFA in fiction and an MA in English - she loves to write! When she teaches writing she aims for inclusion, compassion, engagement, and imagination. Even the most analytical writing requires imaginative thought, and Kelly brings an original experience to her students through gamification and play. She specializes in writing and editing creative pieces, academic essays, expository essays and research papers. She's good at helping you develop your work from the beginning idea phase to the final edit.
Lawrence Algee
Pronouns: They/Them
Specialties: Lawrence is a nonbinary writer with a MFA in creative writing and a B.S. In film production. They are getting my masters in Literary studies. Their approach to tutoring is based around learning the tutees needs, strengths, and style and working with them in a way that's best for them to approach editing and writing. Their areas of writing most comfortable are academic writing and creative writing. Their relevant skills are creative writing and expository writing.
Lydia Ezell
Pronouns: She/Her
Specialties: Research papers, expository essays, and freshman assignments
Lydia is a second-year MA student with a concentration in Literary Studies. She creates a comfortable and collaborative environment in her sessions. She prioritizes elements like thesis statements, logical organization, and clarity of articulation. She has experience working with MLA and APA styles and loves working with research papers, expository essays, and freshman assignments. She also has experience working with personal statements and resumes.
Maria Paula Ramirez
Pronouns: She/Her
Research area: Writing poses challenges and obstacles. However, it can also be a fulfilling process and a chance to acquire better communication skills. Maria-Paula is passionate about helping others develop good writing habits, confidence in their work, and creating a welcoming environment for all. She has experience in creative writing, research papers, personal statements, and MLA. Maria-Paula is a MFA Creative Writing student in fiction who received her B.A. from Georgia State in English (concentration in Creative Writing) and Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies.
Marian Russell
Pronouns: She/Her
Specialties: Marian Russell is a M.A. student in Rhetoric and Composition, and this is her fourth year working in a university Writing Center. She wishes to bring the student-led, conversational tutoring approach she learned at Brenau University to the Studio. Her writing specialties include MLA/APA format, brainstorming, thesis statements, rhetorical analysis, expository/instructional process analysis, creative writing, argumentative writing, and persuasive writing. Marian received a minor in Creative Writing during her undergraduate years, and she loves to help others edit their works and explore the creative writing process. She also has a year of experience tutoring ESL students through Brenau's partnership with the Panamanian program IFARHU, and she hopes to continue to learn more about international teaching/tutoring styles that could be applied to sessions.
Melita Garmon
Pronouns: She/Her
Research area: Melita is a first-year M.A. student in Literary Studies, aiming to focus on Comparative Literature. In her undergraduate studies, she enjoyed history, literature, and art, and she has taught each of those subjects in various levels of education. At the moment, Melita teaches English to 8th graders. Her favorite part of her job is guiding her students into feeling comfortable about writing. Her goal as a tutor is to build confidence in her students during the writing process while she teaches them skills built upon their strengths. Melita has extensive experience in tutoring students through all of the stages of writing from brainstorming, thesis construction, to flawless paragraphs that flow into each other seamlessly. No matter what kind of essay she encounters - narrative, literary analysis, or argumentative essay - Melita believes that anyone can be taught to write an engaging essay. Specialties: ESL, structure and thesis, literary analysis, expository/argumentative essays, MLA, APA.
Michael Parish
Pronouns: He/Him
Research area: Michael is a Ph.D. student in Literary Studies who specializes in Medieval English Literature, Medievalisms, and the Bible as Literature. His tutoring approach is to focus on research, organization, and grammar for writing assignments. Though Michael has the most experience writing and editing essays and research papers in MLA, he is also comfortable editing resumes, creative writing assignments, and essays in other formatting styles.
Rachel Pittman
Pronouns: She/Her
Research area: Rachel Pittman is a PhD student specializing in Poetry. She has more than 3 years of experience as a writing tutor. The genres that she has the most experience tutoring include: English literature, academic research papers, personal statements, and MLA formatting.
Redd Long
Pronouns: They/Any
Specialties: Redd is an MFA student and published poet (under the name A. Riel Regan) specializing in creative writing. They have a passion for seeing written work grow to its full potential, and love "weird" writing. They are very comfortable working with poetry (free verse and form) and genre fiction (sci fi, fantasy, magical realism, speculative fiction, etc,) as well as professional and academic writing. They also have experience working on resume and cover letter writing and formatting. When not reading or writing, you can find Redd killing half their houseplants and valiantly defending the other half from their cats.
Russell T Beason
Pronouns: He/Him
Research area: I specialize in rhetoric. When it cimes to tutoring I approach the session much like a discussion and work to guide the tutee towards the answer in funetuning a paper. I specialize in argumentative and research papers.
Simon Montgomery
Pronouns: He/Him
Specialties: Poetry and Argumentative/Expository
Simon is an MFA student in Creative Writing focusing on poetry. His approach to tutoring is a collaborative one where the tutor and tutee come to an understanding of what the goals of a piece of writing are, and find ways to reach these goals. He believes in the joy of writing and its importance as an outlet for self-expression, and as a tutor, he aims to help others cultivate this joy and ability to present themselves. He is comfortable with argumentative and expository essays as well as creative writing in both fiction and poetry.
Swati Baruah
Pronouns: She/Her
Research areas: Postcolonial studies and theory & World Literature
Swati is a Ph.D. student in Lit. Studies with a focus on postcolonial studies, gender and queer studies, and world literature. Her specialties in helping students at the studio are- Personal Statements, College Applications, Statement of Purpose, CVs and Resumes, and the MLA format along with other forms of essays and assignments. Her tutoring goal is to make the process of writing and comprehending easier for students, while also learning along with them.
Tiffany Gray
Pronouns: She/Her
Research area: Tiffany is a first year PhD student with an interest in studying women's rhetoric in a variety of modalities, eras, modes of delivery, and backgrounds. As a writing tutor, Tiffany feels that clarity in writing is best achieved when a clear thesis or purpose for writing is evident, be that with a written thesis statement or a visual purpose statement. Therefore, she aims to help others present their writing(s) with a clear focus on what the writer wants to project, while also addressing how best to share that message to a desire audience to ensure understanding. Tiffany also strives to provide constructive and encouraging feedback to all writers in the hopes that they will continue to develop and explore their own voice as a writer.
Tingyu Zhang
Pronouns: She/Her
Research area: My approach to tutoring is to create an interactive environment, answer your questions and motivate you to use your own personalized experience to revise your writing with some self-made Mindmaps 3. I'm comfortable working with students on persuasive opinion essays, spoken works, research-based essays, and presentations. I hope to support students with organizing ideas to suit a specific content, purpose, and audience, use the rhetorical appeals logos, ethos, and pathos, find suitable evidence, supporting details, and examples, have effective PEEL paragraph format in essay writing, and have effective visual or vocal strategies for presentations
Vanessa Payne
Pronouns: She/Her
Research area: Vanessa is a first-year M.A. student in Literary Studies. She received a B.A. in English with a concentration in literature and a minor in Theatre. For her approach to tutoring, she takes a page from her creative writing courses and utilizes round table style discussion. She believes that it is her job as a tutor to be a collaborator and another set of eyes, so that she can help a tutee make that crucial discovery for their assignment. She believes that discussion is vital to the tutoring process and provides way more than notes in the margins alone could. Specialties: Literary Studies, American Literature, Creative Writing, Research Papers, and Theatre