About the Appalachian Writing Project

Sherrie Gradin, Director

Sherrie is the Director of the OUAWP and professor and Chair of English at Ohio University. Sherrie is also a past director of the Mississippi Writing Project and is excited to be part of bringing the National Writing Project to southeastern Ohio.

She teaches undergraduate courses in rhetoric, composition, and women and literature, and graduate seminars in rhetorical and composition theory, gender theory, and Writing Program Administration.

Don Dudding, Co-Director

Don Dudding recently retired from Southern Local High School in Racine, Ohio. He received the Ohio Appalachian Center for Higher Education award for Outstanding Teacher of 2003. Don taught at Southern High School for nearly 30 years, where he taught freshman and senior English as well as speech, drama, journalism, and mass media. In addition to his classroom duties, he co-wrote and directed school plays, coordinated publication of the school newspaper, and maintained the district's webpage -- all while finishing his Ph.D. at Ohio University in Composition and Rhetoric. In retirement, Don has been teaching writing at Ohio University, tutoring in its new Graduate Writing and Research Center, and publishes a daily comic, Pencilzania.

Talinn Phillips, Co-Director

Talinn Phillips is an Assistant Professor of English at Ohio University as well as the Co-Director of the AWP. She earned her M.A. in Linguistics and Ph.D. in English Rhetoric and Composition from Ohio University where she teaches first-year and advanced composition, linguistics, and second-language writing. Talinn has also been involved in faculty development work and in writing tutoring with students from all disciplines. She loves working with international students and with the teachers of the AWP.