From: Marc Hert
To: Nathaniel Rivers
Subject: Interview with Jenny Bay

Introduction

Who teaches Professional Writing at Purdue? I don’t know the entire answer, but speaking with Jenny Bay, assistant professor of English, is a good start to finding out the inner workings of a Professional Writing instructor.

Background

Jenny Bay came to Purdue in 2002 because her husband was offered a tenured professor job at the university. Her first tenured position was at California State University Los Angeles. Acquiring an experienced professor such as Bay, Purdue gained more than an average English instructor for its Professional Writing program. Before working at Cal State LA, Bay attended Virginia Tech, graduating both undergraduate and Master’s programs with degrees in English with a focus on literature. With a minor in history, Bay knew that she wanted to work in the history of rhetoric. Rhetoric and Composition or Professional Writing were not offered at the undergraduate or graduate level at her former schools, so she chose to continue her studies instead of resting with the degrees she already had. So after her time at Virginia Tech, Bay matriculated to University of Texas at Arlington for graduate work in Rhetoric and Composition. Bay’s choice of University of Texas—specifically Arlington—was fueled by her contacts at the school; she already knew two professors working in the history of rhetoric at this university and she wanted to work with them.

Since arriving at Purdue six years ago, Bay has taught many courses in the English and Professional Writing Field. As assistant professor in English in the Rhetoric and Composition faculty, she teaches many Professional Writing courses. Yearly she teaches English 203 (Introduction to Professional Writing Research) and English 488 (Professional Writing Internship). Currently she is teaching English 488 and English 680 G (Gender, Rhetoric and the Body), while in the past she has taught courses such as English 470 (Theories of Rhetoric and Composition), English 419 (Multimedia Writing), and English 306 (Introduction to Professional Writing).*

Bay has done many interesting things in the field of writing. After her time at Cal State LA, Bay came to work for Purdue University. Besides her work as a professor, Bay is an active member of the community. She has worked with a few local religious organizations doing things in Professional Writing. Bay worked with the Aquinas Education Foundation doing web development and acting as the secretary for the board of directors. She took executive minutes and ran publicity for the foundation. Bay also worked as a web developer for the Catholic lay movement Schoensttat of Indiana. While she is not currently working as a professional writer, she does work deeply with the students at Purdue University, educating on and offering assistance with internships. She helps students learn their options and encourages them to get involved.

Bay didn’t always want to be a professional writer, as a child she wanted to be a veterinarian. But Bay realized that she did not have the stamina for biology nor the interest needed for students to fully invest in the field, so she went looking for other areas that interested her. Always talented with the English Language, Bay took extra English electives in high school, and was pulled in that direction when she went to college. She realizes that part of the reason she worked in English and not veterinary sciences in college is that she did not have the prior experience that the veterinary school required of its students. Bay encourages students to, once they find a field of interest, gain experience in that field. She is a strong advocate for interning, especially in the area of non-profit organizations.

Perspective on Professional Writing

Bay’s interest in Professional Writing and Rhetoric and Composition has led to some interesting research. Bay works a lot with theories of the body and the relation the body has to rhetoric. She works with research on how people inhabit their bodies and the different implications it has and how people interact with each other and in space. She is interested in how different cultures treat bodies—the effect that varying factors like culture, race, and gender have on the view of the body. Yes, this does involve Rhetoric and Composition. Bay mimics Aristotle’s view of rhetoric—the art of persuasion—when explaining how this research relates to rhetoric. People use their bodies in certain unique ways. Her dissertation was on how bodies operate and interface with other people and with technology; how people can “write with their bodies.” From speaking with Jenny Bay, students in Professional Writing can realize that this field is more than just translating garbled facts into legible documents. Bay researches body modification and gender issues of the human body and how this effects a person’s communication. There is more to Professional Writing than is commonly believed, one has only to look for it.

Conclusions

Bay shows students many options in the field of Professional Writing. She recommends interning to gain experience, and to not be afraid to ask question. She gives some advice to students of Professional Writing—get involved and do not be afraid to ask questions. The PW club at Purdue is a good asset. Also, if a person finds themselves sitting in class wondering how it is relevant to his career—ask the instructor. All of the Professional Writing courses have innate connections and ties, a student just needs to dig deeper and find them. And she says not to worry; If while taking an introductory course a student finds that she is not a good writer, don’t give up. Writing takes practice, skill doesn’t develop over night. The key is to do the best you can, the students who revise their work turn out the strongest.

Who teaches Professional Writing? Jenny Bay does—not only is she a teacher, but she’s a mother, a thinker, a researcher, and a scholar. Overall, I think she’s an excellent asset to students and to the community.

Questions

  • What is your job title?
  • What is your educational history?
  • What drew you to purdue?
  • What courses have you or are instructing?
  • What does your research focus on?
  • What are some of your interests—in and out of the PW field?
  • What jobs have you held in the writing field?
  • What do you do with respect to internships?
  • Did you always want to be a writer?
  • What were some of your career goals before writing?
  • Did you change majors ever?
  • What should students be doing in the major to succeeed?
  • So, in a nutshell, who are you?

*For a complete list courses Bay has taught, visit Jenny Bay’s website