Benjamin Miele
UIW English Professor
What got you into writing and studying English?
I was originally studying the classics - ancient Greek and Latin. I had this idea since high school, but when I got to college, I branched out and explored my options. I was close to majoring in Spanish or Arabic. My advisor, who was in the English department, kept discussing English courses. I was interested in Poetry. I double major in English and the Classics. I took a break after college, and I found myself reading Shakespeare on my own. I knew I could get paid for that based on everything I learned just from reading and studying Shakespeare on my own. I applied to grad school in English, focusing on the Classics. I had an interest in learning how to incorporate nature into the content that was taught in class. The rest is history.
Do you have any projects you’re currently working on?
The answer is always yes. I am working on multiple projects, all are in different stages. I have a few articles about surveillance that I am working on that I would like to have published into a single book. I am also working on a study and writing an article covering divesting fossil fuels across America. I have learned that divestment is a symptom of a healthy campus, and I believe more should be educated and aware of the topic. Sustainability is everything.
What is the inspiration/influence behind this project?
The surveillance articles are inspired by what I studied in graduate school. The Latin word Fama means all of those things. Rumors. Surveillance. Why is Fama so important and why are all the meanings activated? This question started as an undergrad student and it blossomed while in graduate school. The inspiration behind this project is socially positive. In other words, it is to bring awareness and help others understand the matter at hand so they can grow and benefit from change.
What are some challenges that you faced while working on this?
All writing is a public performance. It is like teaching. I get nervous when I teach, and I get nervous when I write. Getting over the nerves associated with writing and just starting the process. I am a compulsive revisor. My advice would be to vomit on the page, do not second guess yourself and be aware of when to stop revising. It can hinder your argument. The difficulty is getting into the groove of writing.
What do you hope your audience takes away from this piece?
For the surveillance one, I have multiple audiences, so I hope to add something of value to the topic. For students, I hope to decode and explain how to understand. The goal is behavior change for sustainability. How do you best persuade the audience? It is difficult to do and hard to understand. I am trying to find outlets that can appeal to scholars and the public.
What advice would you like to share?
The most important thing a student can learn is resilience. Life is 99% adversity. If you learn those skills at an early age, you will be much better off. You can get all the grades in the world, but without resilience, you will not succeed in this world. While schoolwork and grades are important, it is not everything.
