Student Profile

Meet Nick Rutter

Cumberland, Rhode Island
...is writing a novel and plays Humans v. Zombies.

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a week in the life of Nick's sophomore year at URI

Interests:
I like to think of myself as a connoisseur of the local music scene. I go to a lot of local shows. I also play bass and guitar.

Why Writing and Rhetoric?
The major teaches practical applications of writing. As a writer you can apply creativity to get your ideas across. I also chose the major because I wanted to increase my knowledge of writing.

Writing early on:
In 8th grade we read Chocolate War by Robert Cormier. It was the first time I realized how raw writing could be and how much a piece of writing can affect me. Also, in 9th grade I wrote a short story and my teacher asked to keep it as an example for other students.

Favorite Writing class:
Last semester I took Argumentative Writing. I liked the class because it was the first time I felt like I was taught how to write. I learned about specific types of arguments. It was the first time I've worked on an assignment way before deadline because we had to make several revisions.

Campus activities:
My heart and soul goes out to the Musician's Guild. I've been a member both semesters and next year I will be vice president. The Guild plans shows at URI, which involves booking, sound, photography, advertising, etc. It's a lot of work, but a lot of fun. The most successful show we had was "A Flavor Shot of Music;" it overcrowded the Coffee House in the union and had a lot of good energy.

I'm also involved in the Humans vs. Zombies (HvZ) games that started at URI this spring. I met a lot of people through that. It's not about shooting people with nerf guns; it's about getting to know different people on campus.

I'm also a member of the Independent Scribe, a student-run literary and arts publication. Each meeting we review submissions and at the end of each semester we put together a new edition. I've been a part of the Scribe both semesters and next year I will be the treasurer.

Writing a novel:
I started it in July 2009 and it's slowly leaking out. It's inspired by a certain group of friends from high school. My goal is to write 4 books about these experiences. The 2nd will be a sequel, the 3rd a spin off of the first two, and the 4th will be a retrospective of the first three written from different perspectives.

Do you consider yourself a writer?
I consider myself a student right now because I'm not making a living writing.

Post-Graduation plans:
I would like to get an internship in editing or copy editing. I will continue to work and write stories, submitting them until I get noticed. My dream is to write novels like Walter Kirn, the editor for GQ.

News

Please visit our announcements page for more details on the following news:

Congratulations to PhD candidate, Tim Amidon, who was recently selected as an Assistant Editor of Kairos: A Journal of Rhetoric, Technology, and Pedagogy.

Professor Caroline Gottschalk Druschke was selected for a summer research position with the EPA's Atlantic Ecology Division in Narragansett. Caroline will be working with them this summer to study the barriers to and opportunities for restoration in the Woonasquatucket watershed in northern Rhode Island. She looks forward to sharing her experience and findings with the Harrington School Communicating Science Cluster in the fall.

Professor Libby Miles has been selected for a national team of curriculum developers/facilitators for the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL). "Assessment in Action: Academic Libraries and Student Success" is a grant-funded project designed to help over 300 college and university librarians create projects to assess their impact on student learning.

Student Profiles

Get to know graduating senior Shauntel Martin.

Get to know Sara Gilman during her junior year.

See more student profiles.

Upcoming Events

Wednesday, May 8th
What: 495 Capstone Portfolios and Awards Presentation
Where:Lippitt Auditorium - 4th floor Lippitt Hall
When: 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Who: WRT faculty, students, friends, and families

Check out our Event Calendar to see what's happening

Publications

New publications by Gavin Hurley, Tim Amidon,Jeremiah Dyehouse, Cathyrn Molloy, Kim Hensely Owens, Mike Pennell, and Joannah Portman Daley!

See a full list of recent Publications by our faculty and graduate students.

special programs

National Archives of Composition and Rhetoric