BA, Political Science and English, Colgate University, 1993
PhD, Politics, Princeton University, 2004
A few favorite authors: Friedrich Nietzsche, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Leo Tolstoy, Franz Kafka, Virginia Woolf, Haruki Murakami, Karl Ove Knausgaard
A piece of writing advice: Treat every assignment as if it were something you chose to do on your own. If you don’t find it interesting at first, figure out why someone would. This isn’t about doing homework – it’s about cultivating your own unique intellectual experience. All the best work starts with that attitude, and even when the work goes badly, no one with that attitude ever came away empty-handed.
Peer Tutors
Anna-Marie Ahn ’25
Majors: Classics, Biology
A few favorite authors: John Steinbeck, Willa Cather, Kazuo Ishiguro, C.S. Lewis, Arthur Miller, Jane Austen, W.B Yeats
A piece of writing advice: Think about your “so-what question” early on, and try to make it the connecting thread throughout your paper. When the “why” is something you are passionate about and really interested in, the final product becomes personal, riveting, and entirely yours: that’s the most engaging kind of writing!
Anika Bednar ’23
Major: Political Science
Lauren Caldwell ’24
Major: English
Madeline Daniel ’24 (she/her)
Major: Biology.
Minor: Math
A few favorite authors: Kurt Vonnegut, John Steinbeck, Tom Robbins, Jeffery Eugenides, Emily Martin, Albert Camus
A piece of writing advice: Talk while you write! Reading your writing aloud can help you catch any grammar mistakes or clunky-sounding sentences. If you’re struggling to articulate a certain idea on paper, talking it through can help you find the words to clearly convey your argument. The best papers feel natural when you read them aloud.
Lena Essak ’24
Major: Economics
Minor: Environmental Science
McKenna Finley ’23
Majors: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Hispanic Studies
Emma Ford ’25 (she/her)
Major: International Affairs
Minor: Middle Eastern and North African Studies
A few favorite authors: Jia Tolentino, Douglas Coupland, Anthony Bourdain, Joan Didion, Neil Gaiman, Eoin Colfer
A piece of writing advice: Make sure your writing is accessible on three levels: beginner (who knows nothing about your subject,) intermediate (who is studying or familiar with your subject,) and expert (who knows more than you on your subject.)
Fabian Guerrero ’23
Major: International Affairs
Minor: Political Economy
Lila Khammash ’23
Major: International Affairs
Minor: Entrepreneurship
A piece of writing advice: If you’re stuck on a piece you’re writing, sleep on it and then get back to it. Don’t keep staring at the screen indefinitely
Katie McGirt ’23
Major: English
A few favorite authors: Terry Pratchett, Agatha Christie, Charles Dickens, Toni Morrison, Douglas Adams, Kurt Vonnegut, Jane Austen
A piece of writing advice: Paper outlines aren’t just for the sake of organization; they can also serve to make the writing process less intimidating. Sometimes it’s daunting to start a paper when you don’t know where you’re going to take it, and an outline can help you get all of your ideas down first, so that you don’t have to worry about where you’re going next.
Frances Schlageter (she/her)
Major: History
A few favorite authors: Vladimir Nabokov, Leo Tolstoy, Colm Tóibín, Joan Didion, Dianne Seuss
A piece of advice about writing:Concision is best! Don’t bog your writing down in overly complicated, flowery language. Speak inyourvoice and express your ideas in the clearest way you can.
Anthi Sklaventis ’24
Major: History
A few favorite authors: Haruki Murakami, Scott Benson, Gloria Anzaldúa, Lauren Groff, Tommy Orange, Kaia Sands
A piece of writing advice: When trying to create transitions/conclusions, it can be helpful to ask yourself “why does what I just wrote matter?” — trying to include the answer in your writing can elucidate your voice and/or solidify your argument.
Rose Thompson ’23
(she/they)
Major: Sociology/Anthropology, Biology
A few favorite authors: Gloria Anzaldúa, Haruki Murakami, bell hooks, Joey Comeau, Lemony Snicket, and Han Kang
A piece of writing advice: If you’re having trouble getting started, remember you don’t have to write your paper in order. It’s easy to get stuck trying to write the perfect introduction, so try writing your body paragraphs first and going back to your intro when you’re done. It often makes your introduction connect better to the paper and means you don’t have to wait around so long for inspiration to strike if you’re on a deadline.
Will Toppin ’23
Major: Political Science
Gila Winefeld ’23 (she/her)
Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
A few favorite authors: Virginia Woolf, Mikhail Bulgakov, Ian McEwan, Oscar Wilde
A piece of writing advice: Clear writing comes from clear thinking. If you first put effort into testing and deeply understanding what you want to say (and maybe even explaining it to a friend or a peer writing tutor!), conveying it in writing becomes that much easier.
Asmaa Zaidan ’24
Majors: History, Political Science
Writing Center is located in room 227 A+B of Watzek Library on the Undergraduate Campus. MSC: 70
