Inkblot Fall 2014

Fall 2014

Beyond Tutoring Joulia Oweida

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orking at the Writing Center has taught me many important lessons.

One of these is that tutoring is not just about teaching but about teaching and being taught. It’s about a series of exchanges that takes place between two individuals where the boundaries of ‘strangeness’ and ‘formality’ seem to lapse into a brief pause. Tutor and tutee enter a world of stories in which the tutee assumes the role of story-teller, while the tutor takes on the role of attentive child, eager to ask questions and project skepticisms. It’s like being on a tour of adventures: one moment you’re visiting the Colisseum, the next you’re celebrating a Hindu marriage, and later you find yourself fighting for the rights of women in Saudi Arabia. I am exposed to such a diverse range of topics while tutoring that I feel like I am browsing through a collection of story books.

Learning new information from my tutees, the interesting, lively discussions with them, and the friendly conversations we exchange are real perks of tutoring. Although it’s our job to help tutees improve their writing assignments and help them develop their writing skills, we tutors cannot help but benefit from the process as well.

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The Writing Center Newsletter

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Director’s Note

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Editor’s Note

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Blog Pick

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It’s All Relative!

Layla discovers interlinks between her passion for writing and volleyball

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Tutor Feature

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Delve in for a bit of insight into your Tutors’ minds

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Tutor Diaries

Professor Feature We talk to Dr. Lily Mabura about the creative writing process

Literary Events

Mariama and Yumna discuss MENAWCA 2014 and the upcoming Literature Festival

Current Issues

Read along as Nahla delves into the issues surrounding gender neutrality

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INSIDE:

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VOL. 5, ISSUE 1

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www.aus.edu/cas/writingcenter

14 This Year in Books

Fall Fall2014 2013

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Director’s Note

Notes

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Lis tening to Tutor Voices

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Dr. Maria Eleftheriou

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n the Writing Center, tutor voices matter, so when Yumna proposed the idea of tutor diaries, a space where tutors could anonymously voice their thoughts, feelings, and impressions, I was intrigued.

This activity provided a casual way for the staff to share ideas and experiences. When I reviewed the entries, I was pleased to note that so many tutors had contributed and that their tone was positive and collegial. As you can see from the feature page of this newsletter, many of the entries confirm that tutors are very engaged with their students and interested in their progress. They suggest that tutors recognize the vital role they play in their students’ learning and the importance of continuous selfreflection. Other entries reflect the dynamic spirit and joyful attitude that animates our Writing Center.

Tutors feel welcome and part of a community at the Center, their “second home”. Other comments are less positive, but nonetheless, they provide insight into the nature of the relationship between the tutor and tutee, and suggest directions for improvement. Although the collection of comments was initially exploratory, the activity of writing comments and sharing them in a spirit of collegiality generated a free interplay of ideas among staff. Chats among tutors, conversations during staff meetings, exchanges on social media, and recently, entries in the tutor diaries encourage reflection about tutorstudent interaction and facilitate the ongoing dialogue about writing and the tutoring process.

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The Writing Center Newsletter

Fall 2014

Notes

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Editors’ Note

Yumna Ismail and Nada Ramadan

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he Inkblot has always been and hopefully will always be an outlet for the creative energy of our tutors. There is always so much happening at the Writing Center. Not only do we find so much diversity in our tutees but also very much so in our tutors, and there must be some place this wonderful assortment of people and thoughts can be expressed. This is what The Inkblot does.

With it, we empower tutors to raise their voices in order to share their thoughts and connect with the community outside of the Center.

And what’s so brilliant about this form of expression is that it is not limited to the student body at the American University of Sharjah; rather, with it we reach other writing centers, entire communities of writers and peer tutors just like ourselves, and faculty—so they know that those tutors they’ve taught didn’t stop writing after they submitted their last paper in that course. They kept at it, just like we encourage our tutees to do. For how else would you teach students to write if you didn’t do it yourself?

We’re honored to be able to nurture this with The Inkblot in tutors who do the same for their tutees: instill in them the love for the written word. In addition to encouraging tutors to write formally, we encourage other forms of expression at the AUS Writing Center, one of which is journaling. Thus, Tutor Diaries, excerpts of which you’ll see on pages 8-9, was born!

As always, The Inkblot would not have

come together without the efforts of our most wonderful and talented layout editor, Sara Aleem, as well as our incredible writers. We are aware we might have gotten on your nerves sometimes, with all the pressure to meet the deadlines we laid down in putting the newsletter together, and we thank you for having met them.

You are all stars, and we’re honored to work with such enthusiastic and committed tutors.

To our readers, we hope you enjoy looking through the Fall 2014 publication of The Inkblot as much as we’ve enjoyed putting it together!

Are you doing well in your WRI and ENG courses?

Are you Friendly, Confident, and Helpful?

Why not become a Writing Center Tutor or a Writing Center Fellow?

Register for WRI 221!

To learn more about the course, email Professor Lynne Ronesi at lronesi@aus.edu

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The Writing Center Newsletter

Fall 2014

Blog Pick

Farah Nada

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AN IMAGINAT ION

or a child of five, the house was always rather big. There were many places for a little girl to hide: underneath the stairs and behind the couches. Her personal favorite was behind her grandmother’s old bookshelf. Wedged against the roof of the mezzanine, it formed a hollow space that her grandmother often used as a storage area. It was just big enough for her thin frame to squeeze into, and the roof was too low, forcing her to crouch down as she stepped inside. Even in the morning, it was too dark to see inside. One day, rummaging through her grandma’s old stuff, she found a small, yellow lamp.

It was almost broken and very dusty, but she cleaned it and used it so she could sit and read.

From the basement, she borrowed some of her grandmother’s old National Geographic magazines and sat, cross-legged, sifting through them for hours. The words in the stories were still too hard for her to understand, but the pictures were always very interesting. She decided then that she wanted to be a photographer.

From this small, dark space, she overlooked the whole house below without being seen. She saw her mother and her grandmother move about the house; she watched her grandfather pray; she heard things they never told her: somebody fell sick, somebody died. Perhaps, in some youthful fantasy, she imagined her little attic a safe haven from the perilous world below.

Stories of hidden treasures and secret caverns filled her young mind, and she let her imagination wander as she sat there, unseen by the eyes of her family. It was there that she met Isabella.

With her long, blonde hair falling softly over her shoulders, Isabella suddenly appeared next to her, and they instantly became friends. Bella, as she called her sometimes, told her many things: they talked about the magazines and the books that they read together, and they made up sto 4

The Writing Center Newsletter

ries of great and dangerous adventures, all from the confines of this small hiding place. In the lonely summer days, Isabella was her only companion.

Whenever her grandfather would mow the lawn, her first instinct was always to run upstairs. The booming sound of the tractor was a source of terror for her childish mind. Walking quickly up the stairs, she watched the large, red vehicle move back and forth across the lawn, leaving behind it a trail of lighter, shorter grass.

The front grills of the tractor shone in the early morning sun; they reminded her of gaping black teeth, and they terrified her. Sitting with Isabella behind the bookcase, they could still hear the faint roar in the background, its deep rumbling noise changing slightly as the tractor got closer and then further away. It was “physics,” her father said, but she did not understand. Her dad would start to teach her physics when she was six. During a summer trip to Spain, he explained to her how volcanoes worked, and she told her first grade class all about lava and magma. They did not understand, but Isabella understood everything. She then decided to be a geologist.

By mid-afternoon, her grandfather would duly park the tractor back in its designated place, and the entire neighborhood would be engulfed in silence once again. Only then would she tiptoe out of her dark cave and head downstairs, Isabella disappearing quickly in her wake.

Fall 2014

Pract ice Makes Perfect Layla Al Sawan

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Its All Relative!

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olleyball and tutoring are two of my favorite activities: I am an AUS volleyball player, and at the same time, a Writing Center tutor. After finally completing one year of working in the Writing Center, I have noticed how far I have come as a tutor. In my first semester, I was nervous and insecure about my tutoring skills, but I have developed so much confidence in recent months. Likewise, I have also noticed how far I have advanced in my volleyball skills: I have become faster, stronger, and more confident than when I first started. Whether it is working shifts every day for a whole semester or attending a two hour practice session four days a week, it is all critical for improvement. I’ve learned you cannot become better at anything without practice. Talent cannot be the only factor that gets you to the top because it has to be complemented with practice.

The more students I tutor, the more experience I gain, which helps me to avoid mistakes in future sessions. Similarly, the more commitment I have to practicing volleyball, the more skillful I become in the game. To conclude, practice makes perfect. If you feel that you are lacking expertise or skill in anything, whether it is writing, sports or other activities like music and dancing, make sure to practice, practice, practice, and you will achieve your goals.

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The Writing Center Newsletter

Fall 2014

Tutor Feature

Graduate Feat ure!

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he semester is slowly, but surely, coming to an end. Projects, papers, presentations, and assignments fill our schedules and make any form of rest very hard to attain. So it is inevitable that when the semester finally comes to an end, joy is what fills our hearts, minds and souls. Those sleepless nights, endless hours of studying and sighs of pain were not in vain. But at end of every semester, there is something that makes us sad too. The graduates. This semester, the Writing Center will bid fare-well to not one, but four of its tutors. These four individuals have been golden members of the Writing Center, so it will be hard to watch them go.

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YUMNA ISMAIL

Yumna Ismail, editor of the Inkblot and accounting major, has been with the Center for three years now; she explains that it's been "6/7 of my degree." She loves working at the Center because of the job itself, the tutees, and her coworkers. Yumna truly feels that the job, in and of itself, is rewarding. She finds joy in seeing tutees return for more help and book appointments weeks in advance. Without a doubt, she loves her co-workers that brighten her days and make the job all the more worthwhile.

- Fellow tutors - Tutees that give our work meaning

Benefit from working at the Writing Center?

- Being patient and kind when dealing with challenging tutees.

But that only works out to make us better human beings eventu ally, doesn’t it?

- I’ve learnt that you are as much as you stretch yourself to be. The sky’s the limit is what they say, but if you push yourself, you’ll learn that even the sky isn’t your limit. You can be more.

FARAH NADA

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- Maria, our most wonderful boss

Most challenging thing working at the Writing Center?

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What will you miss most?

Farah Nada, English and Mass Communications double major and editor of Asrar, a publication of the English Department at AUS, has been with the Writing Center since Fall 2012. She loves working at the Center because of all the different interactions that she has the pleasure of being a part of. She explains that these interactions are of a diverse nature and will allow her to tell stories later on.

What will you miss most?

Most challenging thing working at the Writing Center?

Benefit from working at the Writing Center?

- The people. They are lovely to get along with

- Stubborn students who want you to do the work. You need a lot of people skills to be able to deal with such situations.

- People skills: teaches you how to handle difficult situations, how to deal with bad at titudes, and a lot about yourself and how to keep cool.

- The center is my 2nd home at AUS

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The Writing Center Newsletter

- Writing skills: teaches you how to develop your own writing and get your message across. Helps you fine-tune your own writing.

Fall 2014

Tutor Feature

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SAMINA NAYYAR

Razan Breiwish

Samina Nayyar, a marketing major, has also been working in the Writing Center for three years now. She loves interacting with the tutees that come her way. She enjoys working together with other Writing Center tutors and, of course, and most importantly, she loves the Center’s pizza parties (who wouldn’t?).

What will you miss most?

Most challenging thing working at the Writing Center?

- Events

- Time management!

- Faculty

- Dealing with tutees who just don’t want to listen.

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- Candy

Benefit from working at the Writing Center?

- Working at the Center has been a constant source of the exchange of ideas between tutor and tutee.

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NOURAH ABAHSAIN

Nourah Abahsain, a senior majoring in International Studies and a member of the International Studies Student Association executive board, joined the Writing Center in the Fall of 2012. Nourah loves the Writing Center mainly because of the fact that working there has allowed her to meet likeminded people. She also loves that she was able to make many new friends from tutors and tutees alike.

What will you miss most?

- People - Meeting new students with different perspectives - Interesting conversations with tutees 7

Most challenging thing working at the Writing Center?

- Balancing the responsibilities of the job with the responsibilities of being a student and making sure that the tutee is given the best help possible.

The Writing Center Newsletter

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- Discipline and time management.

Benefit from working at the Writing Center?

- Patience - Improved listening skills, such as learning to listen more intently - Improved writing skills as a result of tutoring experiences Fall 2014

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Special Feature

from a tutee - reason why I love this job

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ber that we are all in the same boat

The immense, gratitude filled thanks that I get

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Sometimes I feel dumb when I tutor, then I remem-

Hi! I <3 working at the Writing Center. Even on those days when there is a lot to do for courses, working here gives me a good break! :D

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Tutor Diaries

Some tutees just make your day :)

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The Writing Center Newsletter

ing Just had a most entertain session! Abdullah, my tutor, ure in has a very promising fut and the business of flattery ys, a mad love for Alicia Ke his which he elaborated on in concert review - loved it!

The Writing Center is now my home. Love you all

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Earlier in the semester, a tutee, after finishing his session, came up to the front desk, and asked if he needed to pay - it was too

Fall 2014

Special Feature

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Anonymous notes as submitted by Tutors of the Writing Center

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The Writing Center Newsletter

Tutees should consider breath-mints!

That feeling when you see the dawning of understanding finally cross

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embarrassing.

his “My tutee asked me to make senand al paper more form n tences shorter, and then whe e hug ped skip he ted star we chunks of paragraphs and said ain he needed them. Then on cert not can he no said he sentences change them and kept ignoring d all my comments with the wor and ver” ate “wh “Taf” which is saying move on”

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I was tutoring and my stomach decided to rumble. Needless to say, it was awkward. Always, ALWAYS, make sure your tummy’s full before you tutor, else it gets

me to become directive instead of facilitative!

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at the Can I still work after Writing Center graduation?

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Helping tutees brings me ultimate joy!

Sometimes I feel guilty when the tutee forces

upon the face of a tutee.

Fall 2014

Professor Feature

T he Writ ing Process and it s St ruggles: A Chat wit h Dr. Lily Mabura

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Ayesha AlShared

n this interview, Dr. Lily Mabura, an assistant professor in the English Department and a published creative writer, shares her insights on writing processes and anxieties.

“Undoubtedly, there are certain differences between the two fields, but I actually prefer to focus on the bridges spanning across them.

These bridges enable me to move back and forth and to appreciate the similarities between the disciplines as well as how they can benefit from each other. Certain aspects of creative writing are very craft-oriented and studio-like. I, for example, have to pay a lot of attention to the process, the writer’s mind, the writer’s body, place and space.

The bridge of process spans both fields. In my opinion, it is a fundamental aspect in academic writing and underlies the very concept of the Writing Center. As an instructor in the English Department, I have been very happy to work with Dr. Maria Eleftheriou (Director of the Writing Center) and Dr. Lynne Ronesi (who oversees peer-tutor training) towards improving the academic writing experience of students. I myself am a product of the Writing Center, having once worked as a tutor while studying in the USA and from that experience wrote an article titled “An International Student Tutoring at the Writing Center,” which was published in the Purdue Writing Lab Newsletter.

I appreciate the bridges that facilitate interdisciplinarity even beyond academic and creative writing to other fields, such as literature and architecture. I am, for example, currently the coordinator of an interdisciplinary pilot and think tank seminar titled “Tanzania in Literature 10

The Writing Center Newsletter

and the Tanzania Design Project.” Should you be interested in further details, please feel free to e-mail me at lmabura@aus.edu or visit our website at http://tanzaniainterdisciplinaryseminar. weebly.com/ Tell us about your creative writing process.

“The creative writing process is peculiar to every writer, but for many of us, it begins with a precipitating incident, which inspires an idea for a story. The precipitating incident is a story’s critical matter, so to speak—a seed. It is something that provokes a charged, emotive moment in the writer’s mind. When the writer “sees” the seed, they usually write it down in their diary or notes.

Sometimes they keep a scrapbook of ideas as well—at least I do. I then let the “seed” germinate and grow and mature in my mind until I can see the tree, symbolically speaking. If it is a short story, I then write it down. If it is a novel-length idea, though, I have to plot it out, outlining the details in my notes before drafting chapter by chapter. Sometimes, depending on how well conceptualized my outline is, I may skip around and write a particularly inspiring chapter over one that I may be struggling with. I write moving forward, but I simultaneously go backwards to rewrite and to make sure that the language “sings,” as one of my past fiction teachers, Kim Barnes, used to say. Yes—something about a story that works must sing and tug at the reader’s heart.

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Being an instructor in both fields, what are the main differences you find in creative writing vs. academic writing?

Fall 2014

Professor Feature

How do you handle writer anxieties (such as writer’s block), and what is the best way for students to avoid them or deal with them?

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“It is only human and natural to have anxieties when faced with the [in]famous “blank page.”

Moving beyond the entirely complex nature of writer’s block as first defined by the psychoanalyst Edmund Bergler in 1947, if we (including students) can somehow overcome the more basic terror of the blank page, on a legal pad or on your computer, then we can create something beautiful.

You overcome the terror of the blank page by knowing that even the best writers, past and present, have at one time suffered the same malady—you set, near you, some of the best work you have written before as an undeniable reminder of your innate ability to create; you make sure that you are rested and the “writer’s block” is not actually chronic fatigue masquerading as a lack of inspiration; you eat well; and you plan to write (including conceptualization of ideas) by devoting time to it and guarding that time. Now, I should go follow my own advice!

Dr. Mabura (third right), Film Director Bader Hirsi (center), and some attendees of a Tanzania Interdisciplinary Seminar event in Abu Dhabi, fall 2014.

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Fall 2014

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MENAWCA 2014

Literary Events

Yumna Ismail

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he Middle East—North Africa Writing Centers Alliance is, as its website states, “a network of

writing center directors, employees, tutors and others interested in supporting student writing in the Arab world.” As part of their commitment to enhancing writing support in the Arab world, MENAWCA hosts a conference biannually in different parts of the MENA region. This year, it was held in the Canadian University of Dubai (CUD), and speakers and academics came from all across the region to deliver and attend presentations.

During the conference, not only did we learn volumes about how other writing centers operated—with the aim of adopting some of their more impressive practices at home in the AUSWC—but we also shared a lot about our own Center. Attendees were interested in our online booking system and our online tutoring program and intrigued by our Writing Fellows program. Safa Yakoob, one of the tutors who presented about our online tutoring program shared her experience: “Having started online tutoring this semester, I was extremely grateful for the opportunity to represent the AUSWC at the conference. It was an empowering experience meeting tutors from other writing centers and learning about their centers, and strategies.

Networking at the event led to making new friends and connections—not only in person, but also in social media, as we shared details of our universities’ Facebook and Twitter pages. All in all, it was an exhilarating experience and testimony to the fact that being a part of the AUSWC isn’t only about tutoring. That’s how it begins, but from there, you may open a thousand new doors, if you only know where to look.

Emirates Literat ure Fes t ival 2015

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Mariama Osoble

he Emirates Literature Festival, the largest festival of its kind in the Middle East, serves to connect cultures, ideas, thoughts, and people from all around the world, and is held in Dubai every spring. This year’s festival is expected to host around 150 authors and speakers, with popular authors such as Markus Zusak, Nawal El-Saadawi, Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie, and even our very own Dr. Nidhal Guessoum. Every year, the authors hold readings, interviews, discussions and debates. The festival even has a section where you can buy books by participating authors.

The lectures in the festival are typically very accommodating, with all talks being translated into English and Arabic for visitors. Not only do visitors attend lectures and discussions, they also get the opportunity to participate in workshops, listen to readings, and watch live cooking shows. There are entire areas where children can play fun games, read books and even listen to readings.

The festival is run by volunteers, the majority of whom are students. The only pre-requisite to being a volunteer is being 16 years or older. Volunteering provides you with the opportunity to meet and interact with all sorts of different people and meet your favorite authors. Applying is easy: simply go on the Emirates Literature Festival’s website and click on ‘Recruitment.’ This will take you to a webpage that has all the information about volunteering and interning for the festival.

The 2015 festival will take place from the 3rd - 7th of March. Tickets will be sold online and in some WHSmith bookstores starting January 2015. Mark your calendars; this is an event you do not want to miss!

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The Writing Center Newsletter

Fall 2014

Current Issues

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ave you ever found yourself using the pronoun “he” or “she” when referring to an indefinite subject? Like, “he” for engineers and “she” for teachers? When you are writing about people in the broader sense, many of your professors will expect you to use “inclusive” or “nonbiased” language - that is, gender neutral language. Since the 1960s, campaigns in the Women’s Liberation Movement have influenced language. Criticisms of sexism in the structure and usage of the English language has been extensively documented by feminist linguists, psychologists, anthropologists, sociologists, writers, publishers, and others.

Therefore, analysis of both verbal and written language can tell us a great deal about the attitudes, prejudices, and system of beliefs of individuals.

There are varying degrees of biased language, and none are acceptable. Biased language can be located in the meanings or content of words or phrases and written and spoken communication. One example of “gender bias” in language use is through the case of pronouns – specifically the generic usage of “he” or “him” to simultaneously refer to men and women. Many feminist linguists argue that the use of generics, such as “mankind” to refer to both men and women, reinforces a binary that perceives the male and masculine as the “norm” and the female and feminine as the “other.” Such lexical markings and these so-called “generics” may serve to render women invisible and prevent them from expressing and raising consciousness about their own experiences as fully-fledged humans. Consequently, the need for inclusive language arises because according to commonly accepted norms 13

The Writing Center Newsletter

of present usage, masculine pronouns no longer communicate a generic sense of “anyone.” In truth, many people conceive such usage as not only inaccurate, but also as irritating.

As a matter of courtesy, you would be wise to search for alternatives that are inclusive or gender neutral for your writing. For example, avoid “man” or “men” when you mean “human being(s),” “humankind,” or “people.” There are no simple formulas for inclusive language, but a simple rule of thumb says it is sensible to avoid distracting readers with either a gender specific term that may be offensive or awkward inclusive phrases such as “him or her” or “she/he.”

Another easy approach is to employ plural forms, such as “people” instead of “man,” or “students” instead of “the student.” As a result, you can use “they” as an antecedent and avoid the gender issue. Another strategy is to try reorganizing a sentence so that the question of gender does not rise. For instance, consider neutral substitutes to gender-specific terms, such as “chairpersons” instead of “chairmen/ chairwomen,” or “members of Congress” for “Congressmen/Congresswomen.” Such alternatives help minimize unnecessary concerns about gender in your subject matter, allowing both you and your reader to focus on what individuals do rather than on which sex they happen to be.

Language plays an integral role in the way individuals think and behave, and thus it can be used as a valuable vehicle for social change.

Many feminist linguists and writers hope that attention given to language will denaturalize the presumed male privilege and the patriarchal system that continues to safeguard it. So, on behalf of the AUS Writing Center, I tip my hat to all feminist linguists who have heightened our awareness of the importance of gender-neutral language.

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Nahla ElSubeihi

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Gender and Language in Writ ing – Jus t Neut ralize it!

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This Year in Books

What Your Tutors Are Reading Rida Faisal

ontrary to current, popular belief— an opinion widely held by students— reading books for leisure purposes is not actually a myth. Yes, college life makes it difficult to find time to turn to books as a distraction, but whoever said that in order to take something away from a book it has to be of a specific type or genre? I spoke to a handful of tutors at the Writing Center to inquire about a book they read in 2014—one that stayed with them and affected them in any way.

2. For Yasmine Al Jabri, the book Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak proved to be something that really got her thinking. A book about parallel narratives throughout history, which explores the relevance of Rumi’s poetry in a modern woman’s life, Yasmine felt that the book was “thoughtprovoking.”

3. Another book that Yasmine read, which she “truly enjoyed” and could relate to was Desperate in Dubai, a blog turned book written by Ameera Al Hakawati, who writes about the experiences of women in Dubai. Now, that is one topic which is rarely written about!

4. Mariama Osoble’s book of the year was Americanah by Chimamanda Adichie. A book that delves into the sensitive yet powerful topics of race and identity in novel form, Mariama kept thinking “Wow. She gets it.” while reading Americanah.

You know the writer has done a fantastic job if that is the kind of reaction her writing evokes.

was why it had the “greatest impact” on her.

6. Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns, a story about war, loss and destiny, made Safa Yaqoob “realize the importance of family, education, and kindness.”

7. Sympathizing with good-willed people comes easy to most of us. However, a book that can make one “sympathize with a murderer,” as it did for Marziah Rashid, is a book written by Truman Capote, titled In Cold Blood. The author writes about the murder of a farmer and his family. There’s something about murder cases that keeps us on our toes…

8. Love in a Headscarf by Shelina Janmohamed made Yumna Ismail “happy that Muslim women are rising to become a part of a new genre in literature- that of Muslim non-fiction and fiction” as it attempts to explore the topic of love as experienced by a woman of faith and religion in a comedic and light-hearted yet poignant manner.

9. For fantasy lovers, Fatimah Mujtaba recommends Blood of Olympus, the final instalment of the Heroes of Olympus series, written by Rick Riordan. She describes it as a “wild, emotional, friendship-filled roller coaster, and a definite vacation-read,” where some bits even had her “bawling”.

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5. For Shahd Qamhiyeh, the book that stuck with her this year was written in Arabic, entitled Al Qawqa (The Shell) by Mustafa Khalife. Written in the format of a diary, it documents the entries of a detainee in a Syrian military prison. “The book was too painful and too real,” she remarks, and that 14

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1. For those of us interested in visionary leadership, Warrior Politics by Robert D. Kaplan is the book to read as it explains and maps out qualities of great leaders. According to Omar Al Mutawa, it’s his “annual dose of confirmation bias!”

Fall 2014

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Extras!

Comics provided by Safa Yakoob

Fall 2014

Contact Us! 06 - 5152278 / 06 - 5152511

www.facebook.com/AUSWC2013

@AUS_WC

writingcenter@aus.edu

AUS Writing Center

@auswc

Locat ions Library Ground Floor (LIB-024) SBM First Floor (SBM-176) Working Hours: 1o:00 am - 4:00 pm Make appoint ment s at aus.mywconline.com

Writ ing Center Class Visit s: Our tutors can visit your class to promote the Writing Centerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s services or conduct mini workshops on specific topics.

Faculty can contact Maria Eleftheriou at writingcenter@aus.edu to co-ordinate a visit.