Write to the Point

Why does the fear of public speaking feel like the fear of death? In this conversation, Dustin Hall answers that and more. Despite public speaking's many challenges, young people today actually crave the civic engagement that public speaking affords; they want to develop empathy in live situations removed from their phones and their echo chambers. Public speaking, says Dustin, is always a "dialogue," even when speaking solo. How can we get better at it? This convo explains how.  Dustin Hall is the Assistant Public Speaking Lab Coordinator at UF's Dial Center for Speech and Communication Studies, as well as adjunct faculty for the Department of Gender, Sexualities, and Women's Studies and a writing tutor at the University Writing Studio. To date, he's taught public speaking courses for six years and counting. Hall has a BA in Religious Studies (minor in Linguistics) from Youngstown State University and an MA in Hindu Traditions from UF. 

In this conversation, Dr. Jamie Loizzo makes a strong pitch for all scientists to communicate to the public in a variety of mediums: podcasts, photo essays, virtual reality tours, and more. Scientists have a social responsibility to strengthen public understanding and trust. Among other topics, she and Tony discuss her background in radio/TV; the critical importance in being understandable to middle schoolers; what makes for a terrific science podcast; and the importance of not just 'scaring' people but offering 'solutions.' Loizzo is an associate professor in the University of Florida's Department of Agricultural Education and Communication; her project, Streaming Science, disseminates research to the broader public alongside her students.

In this conversation, Tony is joined by Albertine Clarke, whose first novel, The Body Builders, is being published by Bloomsbury Press in February 2026. In addition to exploring the mind-bendingly original novel itself, Albertine and Tony discuss what makes the science fiction genre so special and unique; how reading and writing go hand-in-hand; tips on overcoming challenges of writing a massive project over months and years; and why writing fiction and receiving feedback is just so darn personal. Clarke is graduating from the University of Florida's MFA program in Spring 2025.

In this episode, Cydney Alexis and Tony have a wide-ranging conversation about tackling writer's block, the ways our material surroundings help define our writing processes, and how to approach chatbot use in universities today. Alexis is an Associate Professor of English at Kansas State University and has authored the following texts, among others:  –Cydney Alexis and Hannah Rule, Ed., The Material Culture of Writing, Utah State University Press, Fall 2022 –Cydney Alexis and Eric Leake, "The Stylized Portrayal of the Writing Life in Spike Jonze's Her." Style and the Future of Composition Studies, Edited by Star Vanguri, Brian Ray, and Paul Butler. Utah State University Press, Nov. 2020. –Cydney Alexis, "Creative Writing is a Unique Category." Bad Ideas about Writing. Ed. Drew M. Loewe and Cheryl E. Ball. Morgantown: West Virginia University Digital Publishing Institute (2017). This essay was published in Inside Higher Education (1/3/16) and reprinted in Slate (1/6/17)  

Tony interviews Amy Blue about the University of Florida's innovative "Putting Families First," a unique program that gathers first-year students across the health professions together to assist families (with the goal of improving the students' interpersonal skills). Blue is the associate vice president for interprofessional education in the UF Health Office of the Senior Vice President for Health Affairs. She is also a clinical professor in the College of Public Health and Health Professions' Department of Environmental and Global Health.   

In this episode, Dr. Shannon Butts (Senior Learning Designer at Elsevier) explains the fascinating science behind Elsevier's Shadow Health simulations– an interactive learning experience for nurses. Tony and Shannon cover a range of topics within a dense conversation, as Shannon elucidates why "knowing how to communicate and understanding how language works" is critical in "making tools work that help move us forward."

Tony interviews Pulitzer-winning historian Jack E. Davis (author of W.W. Norton's The Gulf, The Bald Eagle, and others). They discuss the creative process behind composing academic scholarship: how using a varied vocabulary and sentence structure is essential; why researching and writing simultaneously is useful; and how, in Davis's words, letting nature "tell me how it wants to be written" is a pleasure. Davis is a distinguished professor of history at the University of Florida.   

Eric Dean Wilson – author of After Cooling (Simon & Schuster, 2021) – shares his journey in tackling climate range by focusing on a single molecule and telling a gripping 400-page story about America. In this conversation about the writing process, Eric and Tony discuss the merits of everyday journaling; why writing for "the public" is an unhelpful term; why writing a clear sentence is an artform in itself; how to handle feedback from peers, and more. (In addition to After Cooling, Wilson's articles have appeared in TIME, Esquire, Orion, Tin House, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and BOMB, among other publications.)    

In this conversation, Tony interviews Jamie Lee Marks (Senior Analyst in the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's Office of Tribal and Indigenous Peoples) about her agency's efforts to advise the U.S. President and Congress on national preservation policy and more. Marks describes the unique challenges while writing in this realm; why ChatGPT cannot do her job; and how inspiring it is to "be around people who are working on their life's passion in a way that helps to support the American public."

Want to transform your article, dissertation, or book into a text that's actually read by tens of thousands? In this conversation, Sean Trainor advises academics on how to map one's idea into a public venue through developing a pitch and working with editors of high-profile presses. In a world that "moves at a pace that would give many academics a panic attack," journalism can be a tricky place for academics to wade, but the upshot is well worth it. Sean Trainor is an Assistant Instructional Professor in the University of Florida's Warrington College of Business, where he teaches professional writing; his public-facing articles appear in The Atlantic, TIME, Salon, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and elsewhere.

Evan Maroun advises future med students about the unspoken communication rules for health professionals. He and Tony discuss challenges and tips for various forms of medical communication–from the patient interview to research papers–and explore why lucid communication is so foundational to ethical research and clinical practice.  Maroun, a UF graduate, is a first-year medical student at Nova Southeastern University's College of Medicine, with a keen interest in anesthesiology. Feel free to contact him at: em2086@mynsu.nova.edu.  

Six educators share their insight into teaching writing alongside AI. With varying attitudes–from enthusiasm to skepticism–these university teachers offer perspectives that cut beyond the obvious on facilitating the use of ChatGPT in the classroom.    0:46– Dr. Zea Miller (University of Florida) explains why ChatGPT is revolutionary and why its future role in education is so pivotal.    6:58– Dr. Edmond Y. Chang (Ohio University) contextualizes this moment in a long line of teaching with new technologies like word processessors and Wikipedia.    13:53– Dr. Lilly Campbell (Marquette University) clarifies ChatGPT's strengths and weaknesses in writing instruction and suggests how first-year writing courses can utilize it effectively.    25:20– Dr. Emily Bald (University of Florida) frames this moment as an opportunity for instructors to question and re-assess their true educational goals when teaching writing in disciplines such as medical science.   36:38– Dr. Thomas Salem Manganaro (University of Richmond) points out ChatGPT's failings when it comes to analyzing literature.    50:22– Dr. Reine Azzi (Lebanese American University) shares why she enthusiastically uses AI in the classroom and offers strategies for doing so productively. 

Dennis McCarty explains how "bullshit" operates in public communication and why it's integral to identify its strategies. He also gives advice on public speaking as he and Tony discuss the errors of pre-canned speeches; the underrated usefulness of audience analysis and humor; what celebrities taught us during the pandemic; and why Q&A is so difficult. McCarty is an Assistant Instructional Professor in the University of Florida's Dial Center for Written and Oral Communication.  

Stevi Costa, Grants Manager of Seattle Rep – the Pacific Northwest's largest nonprofit theatre – describes the exciting challenges of writing donors to help her nonprofit grow, offering tips for navigating the particular hurdles involved in the grant writing process.

Award-winning debater Kendall Lindsay explains the myriad skills that are developed by engaging in competitive debate tournaments. Tony and Kendall also discuss why practicing debate is an "ethically responsible" thing to do in an increasingly polarized world inundated with social media.

UF Associate Professor David Kaplan (Dept. of Environmental Engineering Sciences) reflects on writing to audiences ranging from colleagues to the U.S. Supreme Court. He and Tony discuss the many surprising keys to complex yet accessible communication in the sciences.