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Hi everyone! My name is Cameron Poli. I am second semester undergraduate senior with a dual majoring in Professional Writing and Communications with a focus in Media Production. I am interested in learning about structural inequality, and discussing how the pandemic has affected small businesses and others in low income positions. As someone who grew up in Cortland, I have seen many small companies that have been around since I was young suffer and close, just within the the last couple months. I am also very interested in teaching methods, so I am very excited to hear that we will be discussing how race, gender, and sexuality shape how we learn and also the environment we learn in. I am particularly interested in discussing how feminism plays a role in the learning environment.

During my time as a Professional Writing Major, I enjoyed learning about the revision process because it taught me that my writing didn’t need to be perfect in the first draft. As a freshman, I struggled with perfectionism, specifically in writing. In my nonfiction class, I saw writing as something that simultaneously exposed flaws in my academic abilities and in the life experiences I would write about. I was afraid to be vulnerable and write honestly about my life experiences, but I was most wary of re-reading my work (I didn’t like seeing my own errors). After nonfiction and multiple other taking classes where I was required to re-read my work often, I began to realize that the revision process was a powerful tool that not only allotted space for errors, but also considered them a productive and necessary tool for pushing a piece to be in its best form. I see my undergraduate classes as humbling experiences that helped me become a more genuine writer and better communicator.

Hi friends,

I’m excited to start learning with you this semester and kinda nervous, too! This year has sure been weird. I hope all of you have been well and are staying safe.

A little bit about myself: I live here in Cortland, I’m a roving reporter for The Cortland Voice and I also have a pather cat I’ve named Senator Cato, Defender of the Roman Republic.

A little bit about my hopes for this semester: I hope to learn more about forgotten/repressed American women authors, to learn about establishing Native American literature into the realm of American literature and to explore literary territories.

A little bit about what I’m reading: Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth had me waking up at 3 a.m. to finish the book, Beowulf translated by J.R.R. Tolkien is surprisingly short and snappy and John Cheever’s short story “The Swimmer” haunted me with the questions, “what is real and what is denial?”

Hello everyone, my name is Bobbie.

I would like to begin by stating I look forward to working with all of you educated and talented people with such diverse interests!

My passions include minimalism, deepening self-love, everyday romance (or rather what Lorde would call “the erotic”—non-sexual activities that provide intense pleasure), and the timeless psychology of characters in Victorian novels, especially regarding relationships and personality theories. I have a dual bachelor’s in Psychology and Professional Writing and am somewhere close to halfway-ish through the English Master’s program. Needless to say, my background has firmly established the tendencies to: promote a dry sense of humor in my writing; come across as being “too formal”, “trying too hard”, or “explaining to almost a fault”; and I maybe perhaps have written in a non-committal way while often using passive voice for the past several years.

A few of my hobbies include body training, going to wine tastings/breweries, and learning something new (like gardening, canning, and making dandelion jam). Lately I have been obsessed with watching YouTube videos about professional self-improvement to “unleash my inner beast” and personal spiritual growth to “embrace my inner goddess”. The latest books I’ve read are The Art of Seduction and The 48 Laws of Power, both of which I believe are the Devil’s guidebook on how to train his minions. Next up are The Alchemist and Neuropsychology of Self-Discipline. I suppose I read more for information about abstract theory than reading for pleasure per se.

I generally don’t share my goals because I would rather put them out into the universe energetically! However, I am currently a Professional Writing Tutor at TC3, I have a 13-year-old (who loves video games, manga, and anime), and my life motto comes from Dr. Seuss: Life is a Great Balancing Act.

My questions seem simple, yet my intuition says they are much more complex than I can imagine:

1. How is the balance of power shifting in the new norm? Has it shifted at all?
2. How can we recover emotionally and psychologically from being socially distant from others for so long and trained to believe that every person we meet has the potential to kill every person we love?
3. Bonus: How the heck am I going to learn how to use 5 different platforms within a week when technology and I have a love hate relationship?

Hi everyone my name is Sebastian and I’m headed into my second year in the Masters program. I spent most of my summer reading The Prince, The Book of Five Rings, and I just started the Tibetan Book of the Dead…I’m now also reading Pride and Prejudice for the third time (shout out to you Leffel). I also built a tiki bar in my backyard with my brother and dad with all the pandemic induced free time. I did a little experimenting in the kitchen and wound up with this incredible curry that used a red bell pepper as it’s base… I’ll definitely be doing that again this semester.

I was the assistant coach for Cortland’s gymnastics team and taught a few PED courses for the Phys Ed department – hopefully if everything settles by the spring they’ll be able to bring me back on for team; for now though, I’m back in the Library working Tech Help.

Two questions I would like to be able to answer at the end of the semester:

1. Who opened Pandora’s Box and let 2020 out.
2. ^^ see above for a joke ^^

On a serious note, I’ve spent most of the Summer having conversations with individuals of varying political (and subsequently moral and ethical) beliefs and the end result has left me somewhere between a tepid hopelessness for America and an aggressive drive to find a way to communicate new, seemingly radical ideas to those who would rather bathe in the status quo. I guess my questions would be as follows:

1. How do you introduce those “radical” or “revolutionary” realities surrounding things like systemic inequity or toxic behaviors to someone who acknowledges a need for change, but is hesitant to leave the comfort of “the norm” because “that’s just how it’s always been”.
2. How to locate the intersections of race, gender, and sexuality and how those intersections affected political decisions, while considering the historical context; this way I can spot patterns and potentially even speculate on what could come to pass.

I am very much looking forward to our on and offline discussions! I can’t wait to (pseudo-) see you all on Monday!

Hello hello! I’m Teodora Buzea and I am from Cortland. It takes me 20-40 minutes to walk to school from my house and 30 seconds to roll out of bed to my computer, so this is quite the time-saver. This is my last semester as an undergraduate (English Major/Anthropology Minor) and my first time participating in a class taught by Dr. Savonick, so color me excited! Most of my interests fall into East Asian Pop Culture and Literature which influences my day-to-day life. After graduating, I am planning on coming back to SUNY Cortland for my M.A. and continue focusing on this growing subject.

This summer, I made it so that not a single day would be boring. If there is one thing that I despise, it’s not being able to do anything. One of the biggest things I did was partake in a drawing challenge called “100 Days of Sketching” over on Instagram. As the title says, the goal was to post any drawing that you made on that day onto the platform in order to gain drawing habits and accept unfinished/messy works as valid attempts. I typically draw anime fanart and, overall, art is just something that I am extremely passionate about. It is a goal of mine to one day write and draw a graphic novel series.

Speaking of graphic novels, I also spent some time working on my thesis project covering the subject of shoujo manga (Japanese graphic novels with a young female demographic in mind). As such, most of my summer reading list consisted of manga and light novels, as well as several books on the art of the literary medium. My favorite manga that I started to read this summer was Spy x Family by Tatsuya Endo, which tells the story of a spy that forms an undercover family with an assassin clerk and a telepathic orphan girl and, along the way, forms inseparable bonds that make them a true family. It’s very much like the film Mr. & Mrs. Smith. I also read this wonderful book called Manga Cultures and the Female Gaze by Kathryn Hemmann which talks about how female manga artists challenge the perceived norm of female presentation with manga.

Some other things about me: I love animated films, collecting unique stuffed animals, and traveling (but not now, of course). Tea makes up 90% of my liquid intake. I am currently in the process of editing my second book in the fantasy/adventure genre (which I hope will be published by the end of the year). I unfortunately am slightly allergic to cats, but I love seeing pictures of all y’all’s feline friends. The closet thing I have to a pet is a bat living between the screens in my back porch. His name is Mammon and he is adorable.

Two topics/questions that I am interested in learning more about this semester are:

-During the summer, the #BlackLivesMatter movement was louder than it has been for a long time. In the month of June, I observed many active “Support Black Artist/Creators/Business Owners” tags. Recently, I read a Tweet in which a Black artist blamed themselves for not jumping on the “trend” and gaining support in June because they were still trying to take in what was happening during that time. As a Caucasian, how can I and others who are privileged be best able to continuously support Black creators and other races in getting the reach they deserve in order for it not to be considered a “trend”, but a necessary and long-standing change? What is standing in the way and how do we remove this blockade on creation recognition?

-In many popular animated series like Adventure Time, Steven Universe, She-Ra and the Princess of Power, and The Legend of Korra, there has been an increase of LGBTQ+ representation presented; however, primarily between females. How can forms of North American pop culture with typically a younger demographic in mind face this lack of representation when it comes to other relationships in the LGBTQ+ community?

Thank you very much for reading through this post and I am looking forward to see what this class will offer!

Hey guys my name is Megan (or Meg). I’m starting my last semester as an Undergrad here at Cortland, and I’m so excited about this class. I just took Danica’s Audre Lorde class last semester and I am ready to get back into the swing of things. I’m an English major with a psychology minor, focusing on disabilities in children. After this semester I plan on continuing here at Cortland getting my M.A. in English. As any English nerd, I love to read books of all kinds and genres–I’m a sucker for a historical fiction novel. Along with that I also like writing both for school and creatively.

This summer I’ve spent a lot of time with my family. I watch my four-year-old niece a couple days a week. Other than that I work for Broome County in the Real Property/Tax Services department. It sounds more glamorous than it is! Mostly I’m on the phone answering tax questions or reading deeds. When I’m not doing that, my natural habitat is holing up on my porch in our swing and reading. Quarantine got me into sketching and painting. I’m not very good, but I’m enjoying it either way!

We have three cats in our house, two of them are mine (pictured below). Their names are Berlioz Marie (Burli for short) and Bagheera Katherine (Bagi for short). As their names reveal I love Disney movies. I grew up watching them, and they are still my go-to rainy day movie. It’s either a Disney movie or a cheesy teen rom-com. Bagi and Burli are as different as they can be. Burli is very affectionate and cries at everyone for attention, especially if you are getting out of the shower. Bagi is our feisty one, tends to slap you then stare at you. I’m the only one who she’ll let hold and snuggle her.

I’ve read a lot of books this summer (+quarantine) but my favorite so far was The Electric Heir by Victoria Lee. I’ve always liked reading young adult fiction novels, and this was amazing! It tackles really adult issues, like immigration, sexual abuse, domestic/partner abuse, a corrupt government, plus a deadly virus that either kills you or gives you incredible power! It’s a roller coaster, but I love reading books meant for ‘kids’ that doesn’t sugarcoat the hard issues.

Two topics/questions for the course that I would like to explore (sorry these are long):

1. How as a society can we keep moving forward in our understanding and empathy in regards to race, gender, and sexuality? For me, I grew up in a small rural, (mostly white) community so I did not have a lot of experience with people who did not look like me. I was fortunate enough to have parents who cared about my empathy levels and going to college I was exposed to a diverse group of peers, professors, and curriculum. How can we all move this world towards a more open and diverse understanding?
2. This is a part of a debate I’ve been having with some family. The argument of “well I don’t see color so…” or “why do we even care what someone is or does? Do we want to create a world that celebrates diversity and labels everything, or should we strive for a world where there are no labels besides “human”?

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Hey everyone! (: My name is Skylar or Sky (whichever you prefer) and I’m from Middletown, NY. I was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana and lived there until I was 13. Then, I moved to NY with my dad. This is my senior year at Cortland and I am a double major in English and psychology. When I graduate in May, I plan to complete my masters in psychology and hopefully, become a high school psychologist. Two big life dreams of mine are: 1) to open a yoga and tea studio and 2) publish a book and/or my poetry. Currently, I am a member of Sigma Delta Tau (a sorority at Cortland). I am also a research assistant and our research is a sexual health study among SUNY Cortland students. Further, I am going to be a teaching assistant this semester for an asynchronous virtual COR 101 class. This will be my first time being a TA and I am super excited. Lastly, I will be completing my semester from home which will be different, however, I am ready for this new challenge.

Most of my summer has consisted of me working two jobs: I’m a server at Texas Roadhouse and I babysit five kids all under the age of nine from 7:30am to 4:30pm throughout the weekdays. In my free time, you can find me cleaning my apartment, cuddling with my two little fur babies (both are pictured below), working out, or reading. A few more things about me: my favorite color is yellow, I’m a Pisces, my absolute favorite quote from Jennifer Niven’s novel, All The Bright Places is “You are all the colors in one, at full brightness” and I love to laugh.

Two topics or questions I am interesting in thinking about in regards to this course are: 1) what are things we can do virtually to make a positive impact on race, gender, and sexuality within SUNY Cortland and 2) In what specific ways can each of us contribute to our virtual class to make it feel as close to a “normal” and enjoyable classroom.

As a closing note, this will be my third class with Professor Savonick and I am beyond excited to be in another course with her. I’m looking forward to an engaging, educational, and fun virtual class with everyone! See you all in less than two weeks!

Hi everyone! I’m Jax. Off the bat I wanted to say I identify as nonbinary and use they/them pronouns, so if you can use that for me that’d be great. I’m definitely open to answering about any questions about this if you have any.

I’m in the second year of my English Master’s here. I was a transfer student from Tompkins Cortland after I got my associates, and then did the rest of my undergraduate here at SUNY Cortland as well. I have an English Bachelor’s and a minor in Professional Writing thus far. I’m extremely interested in queer studies, horror studies, fan studies, seriality, and audience participation within writing. All of which are things I’ve been looking into for my thesis project which is how I’ve spent most of my summer. I’m especially interested in things like found footage, unfiction, and storytelling through podcasts. All of which use interesting frames and lens in which a story is needed to be told through. It’s super interesting to me! I’ll talk to you about any found footage movie for hours.

On top of that, I have a lot of experience with tutoring. I have worked with The Learning Center as a GA and as a peer tutor during my undergrad. If I do not end up becoming a professor, I am extremely interested in becoming a professional tutor or working within writing centers within different colleges. I really enjoy working one on one with students and helping them develop their writing skills. I’ve also tutored things like time management, study skills, and test skills.

Some questions I have for this semester:

• How am I able to integrate race/gender/sexuality studies easily within a subject that might not be entirely about that? I tend to bring these up regardless of my class, just because it falls within my interests and my own self, but it will be helpful to explore effective ways to integrate them into my teaching in a way that doesn’t feel forced.
• How do you develop an effective teaching plan online? Since we don’t know at all what that future may hold for us, teaching might become online sort of permanently. Or at least for the next few years. I’ll be interested to see this develop especially through the group projects.

And now I’ll get into the most important part: Cat pictures (and a book picture)

Hi there! My name is Lexi Hartley and I am starting the MA program in English at Cortland part-time this fall. In my full-time life, I am a certified Secondary Social Studies teacher and I work as a Humanities Teacher at the Lehman Alternative Community School in Ithaca. I have lived upstate for four years; before that, I taught English internationally in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina and studied History, ESOL and Social Studies Education at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA. I have the great privilege of teaching at a school where all our classes are thematic, so my classes vary, but my favorite classes and topics to teach are Black history and literature, Holocaust and genocide history / literature, and Middle Eastern politics and literature. This year, I’m doing more middle school classes than I usually teach, so I’m both quite excited to reconnect with my students and also very excited to be with adults discussing literature and theory at least once a week. It feels a little weird to be back in school as I think I’d count as a “mature student” at this point, but since I teach interdisciplinary English classes at my school, I’m hoping to get NYS Certified in teaching English as well as Social Studies and more importantly, build my content knowledge to be a better teacher for all my students! I was excited to take this class online both for the obvious pandemic reasons but also to explore new methods of online learning, as I enjoyed teaching online in the spring more than I thought I would.

I’m glad that Danica posted an image of her cat, so I can share pictures of Nog, our very fluffy and majestic diva / cat! You all will probably meet Nog soon as she likes trying to swat at my computer and camera when I’m in an online class (it’s basically the only time when she’s not hungry that she acknowledges my existence). When I’m not being ignored by Nog, I enjoy hiking with my spouse and watercolor painting, which a hobby that I started rather recently. I’ve shared an image of one of my paintings. Before this summer, the last time I did art was probably in an art class in middle school, but I’m finding it’s really liberating to be an absolute beginner and completely untalented at something–it makes any progress really gratifying and gives me a good sense of how my students might feel. I’ve also been trying to read a lot more fiction this summer than usual, so I’ve posted an image of Mornings in Jenin, my favorite book that I read this summer, which was written by Palestinian-American author Susan Abulhawa. 

In terms of this class, two topics that I would like to learn a little more about:

• As a white, straight, cisgender female educator teaching in a primarily white institution, what resources can I use to meaningfully engage my middle and high-school aged students in topics of race, class, and gender? 
• As a reader, I am naturally drawn to fiction more than nonfiction, which is something that I find that I share with my students. I’m curious about how to connect the topics that we will be discussing in class with fiction, especially fiction that I have taught or might be teaching. Finally, how do we connect our emotions and epxeriences whilst reading fiction about the “before times” while we are living in COVID times?

Now of course, what everyone has been waiting for– cat photos!