by: Shannah Whithaus

I interviewed Kali Monday, March 2, 2009. Wrye Sententia recommended I speak to her about her experience in UWP 101, Advanced Composition. 

Shannah: So, Kali, which UWP class did you take?

Kali: I took 101 with Wrye, and UWP 1, both of which I didn’t have to take but wanted to take. I wanted courses that would keep me writing.

S: And what decided you on 101, as opposed to any of our other offerings?

K: 101 attracted me because of how practical it was supposed to be, and what happened was, I ended up with a book proposal! Really, it only happened because of the relationship Wrye established with me.

S: I guess that answers my next question about whether you feel you benefited from the course, but perhaps you could give me a few specifics about what you felt you got from the class.

K: Sure. During the course I felt I was getting a lot of practical skills, but I got more than I expected. Wrye made a special effort to engage me while I was there.

S: Now that you’re moving onward and upward, how do you feel about the writing skills you learned while taking 101? What did you take away from the course?

K: Wrye’s main message: you can get anything from anyone if you know who to ask and how to ask it. I learned how to get people’s attention and keep it. The book proposal idea wasn’t fully formed in class, but the project launched me into a community of ideas and people I couldn’t access before. Technical and computer skills developed in that class, and this year, I will apply these skills while blogging about my [upcoming] trip to Jordan and Syria with my Mom, [which I was able to] set up as an internship abroad. Wrye helped to set me up with the Technocultural Studies Department to blog through them. I will be working with Iraqi refugees and conducting research for my senior thesis thanks to the McNair Scholars Program.

S: What would you say now, after taking UWP101, to students just starting a UWP course? Is there anything you’d recommend students do to improve their experience?

K: Students could actually use the skills they are learning… take advantage of what you are doing in class to improve. If you don’t put something into your UWP course, you won’t get anything back. Go to office hours! You learn much more that way.

S: What is your attitude toward writing today? Is it much different from your attitude before you took the course?

K: My attitude toward writing is different today than when I was in high school. While in college, writing is a different experience, and academic writing is very different from writing in the outside world. It is necessary to switch back and forth between creative writing and academic writing in order to communicate effectively  to succeed.  Wrye talked about academic writing, but she also required a different kind of writing, that forced me to exercise some of the writing skills I had lost during the college years. This all happened at the same time as I was doing more academic writing, so I now [have an attitude toward writing that includes] adaptability.

S: Could you talk some about what you’re working on lately, perhaps the book proposal you mentioned earlier?

K: OK, sure. A friend had said to me a while back, “I would really like to write a book,” and that surprised me. And it stayed in my mind. When Wrye assigned a general proposal paper, I went in to office hours and asked if I could change my assignment from a general proposal to a book proposal. She said yes. Wrye gave me some links so I could learn about book proposals. I turned in a draft to Wrye, but then kept on working on it. It changed over time and became more fully fledged. I got a book deal from a publishing company, but [deferred it]. Over the summer I had an internship in Washington D.C., and lived there for three months. I decided to try a little social experiment, and wore hijab [during that three month period]. I noticed and recorded my experience there [in D.C.], and found all this in-group/out-group stuff going on, interesting power dynamics, reverse power structures, etc. I actually had the experience of police being scary and gang members being protective of me. A majority of people were kind and curious, and there was a lot to write about.  So I switched the topic of the book to reflect more about this experience. At the moment, I have put it (the book project) on hold because of my full-time student status. I would love to take a year off after my undergrad degree to complete the project.

Kali added that she will incorporate her experiences in Amman, Jordan, “so the book will end up as a kind of international compare and contrast: Two capitals, two viewpoints.”

Kali Rubaii is a current UC Davis student who will be taking a quarter abroad this Spring (2009). Look for Kali’s blog posts from Jordan and Syria at: jkrubaii.wordpress.com .