Alumni Spotlight: Amanda Reis

By Amanda Reis, class of 2010, English major

I listen for my AU English professors every time I write. I can still see Dr. Russell Weaver in his tweed sports jacket and grey beard, sitting at the head of a long rectangular table, telling me to avoid comma splices and never start a sentence with ‘it’. “How can you make this sentence better?” he’d asked. On the contrary, I can hear Dr. Joe Mackall assuring me with his light hearted, personable demeanor that it’s okay to “just write” sometimes and worry about the spelling and grammar later. Skip the introduction and write the piece, he’d tell me, for how can you introduce something that hasn’t yet been written?  FULL STORY...