Meet the Staff
Jaclyn Wells, Director
Jaclyn received a Ph.D. in English (Rhetoric and Composition) from Purdue University in 2010. Her book, Partners in Literacy: A Writing Center Model for Civic Engagement (co-authored with Allen Brizee), describes a three-year engagement project involving the Purdue OWL and two adult literacy organizations in Lafayette, Indiana. Jaci has directed the UWC since 2012. She is SafeZone certified. You can read more about her on the Department of English website.
Fun Facts: To date, Jaclyn has never lost a game of Seinfeld trivia. Her corgi mix, Travis, is Instagram famous.
Brianna Carnley, Program Administrator
Bri graduated from UAB in April 2022. Her major was English with a concentration in creative writing and her minor was Philosophy. Before becoming the Program Administrator, she worked as a tutor for the UWC during her senior year. She is also a graduate student at UAB pursuing a Master’s of English.
Fun Facts: Her favorite musicians of all time are Florence and the Machine and Hozier; however, she’s been into rock and metal music more recently, specifically Måneskin, Ghost, Bad Omens, and Sleep Token.
Emmett Christolear, Adjunct Assistant Director
Emmett Christolear is a second-year graduate student. He earned his BA in English from UAB in 2015. He is a faculty member of the Ada Long Creative Writing Workshop and is a teaching fellow with Desert Island Supply Co. He has acted off-and-on as a session leader for the Alabama Scholastic Press Association and Space One Eleven. His writing has been published in Aura Literary Magazine, Screen Door Review, Rogue Agent, and Black Napkin Press. With a focus on poetry, his writing aims to celebrate the Southern Queer Experience. He is SafeZone certified.
Fun Facts: His dream closet would include a Demin jacket in every color and patterns like animal print, flames, and checkers. This closet would also have a custom-sized Converse-specific shoe shelf full of every color to match.
Amber, Graduate Tutor
Amber is a 1st year master's student studying English/Creative Writing. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of West Alabama. She is a poet and editor and her work can be found in Quibble Lit. She's a teaching fellow with a Desert Island Supply Co. and a poetry reader, for Poetry is Currency. She hopes to have a career in publishing while having her own work published and eventually, she wants to teach on the college level. Amber enjoys writing poetry and fiction and reading mystery, contemporary and romance novels.
Fun Facts: Her favorite show is The Office US; she's seen it 17 times and counting. Her favorite things to read are anything by Ruth Ware or Fredrik Bachman. She loves to crochet and take walks with her dog Nala.
Anoushka, Undergraduate Tutor
Anoushka is a sophomore student majoring in English with a focus in literature. She plans to minor in either Japanese or art. One day, she hopes to find her footing as a sports journalist.
Fun Facts: She loves watching silly little cartoons (specifically, Avatar: the Last Airbender) and attending UAB basketball games.
Crys, Graduate Tutor
Crys McKissick is a first-year graduate student studying English Literature. She completed her undergrad at UAB in English with a concentration in Literature and minors in History and Ancient, Medieval, and Renaissance Studies. Prior to returning to school, she worked in a public library and taught reading intervention. She is passionate about literacy and the power of a story. After completing her MA she intends to pursue a MLIS with the goal of becoming an academic librarian. If she's not at school or hauling her children to their various activities, Crys knits compulsively, consumes too much coffee, and is diligently making her way through her towering TBR list.
Fun Facts: Her superpower is the ability to sleep basically anywhere at any time, including crowded public places. This is why she hasn't seen a movie or TV show in more years than she cares to admit. Also, she does costume sewing, primarily for ballet.
Kaylie, Graduate Tutor
Kaylie is a first-year graduate student with a concentration in literature. Kaylie loves reading and writing. In the future, she hopes to earn a PhD to eventually become an English professor.
Fun Facts: Kaylie loves to spend her free time watching movies/tv shows, hanging out with her family, and listening to music or podcasts.
Kylie, Graduate Tutor
Kylie is a first-year graduate student and teaching assistant. She received her B.A. in English with a minor in political science from the University of South Alabama in 2019. After graduating, Kylie moved to Austin, Texas where she taught high school English Language Arts and Reading for two years. Life brought her back home to Alabama and she now lives in Birmingham with her husband, Nathaniel, and cat, Doodle. In her free time, she loves staying home and re-watching the BBC Pride and Prejudice miniseries or binging Bluey with her 2-year-old niece (and best friend), Ellie. Kylie hopes to teach English in a higher ed setting after receiving her M.A. and may even go for her Ph.D. some day!
Fun Facts: Kylie’s favorite book is Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, and she has a collection of different versions (including some in other languages). Other favorites include The Hobbit, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and anything by Jane Austen.
Tanzin, Graduate Tutor
Tanzin is a first year graduate student in English at UAB. She received her M.A degree in English Language and Literature from International Islamic University Chittagong in Bangladesh. She has worked as a lecturer in the department of English in BGC Trust University Bangladesh and supervised the students with research interest. You can find her academic papers on Researchgate and Google Scholar. In Bangladesh, she directed her students in making social awareness documentaries on old age home, transgender and drug addiction. In the University Writing Center, she is eagerly waiting to tutor the students for their writing skill and topic development.
Fun Facts: Tanzin loves romantic and action movies and TV series. Game of Thrones, All of Us Are Dead, Persuasion and Purple Hearts are her most favorite. In her spare time she loves to walk alone with earbuds and cold coffee.