Vytautas Malesh, MFA
 email: [email protected]
 
Professional and Academic Summary

  • Highly regarded instructor of composition, technical, and professional writing, consistently well-reviewed by University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Schoolcraft College, and Wayne State University.

  • Rhetorical and Compositional Doctoral candidate specializing in material & sartorial rhetoric as informed theoretically by Foucault, Heidegger, and Barthes, and rhetorically by Judith Butler, James Crosswhite, and Thomas Rickert.

  • Author of both literary fiction and genre fiction, exploring and dissolving the boundaries between the two.
 
Employment History
 
Graduate Teaching Assistant - 2014-Present, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
  •  Taught both English 1020 (College Writing) and English 3050, (Technical Communication)
  •  Instructed diverse classrooms of varied skill and grade levels in the arts of composition, document design, and academic and professional culture
  • Prepared lecture materials to guide classroom discussion and participation in a flexible, but still comprehensive, manner
  • Graded all student materials in a timely and accurate fashion

Freelance Copywriter -  2012-Present, Woodbridge Copywriting, Detroit, MI
  • Reviewed, revised, edited, and proofread documents including brochures, web copy, practical legal documents, and books
  • Co-authored 200+ page technical book, serving as  chief editor
  • General consulting, editing, and proofreading for local Detroit-area companies

Adjunct Instructor of English - 2010-Present, Schoolcraft College, Livonia, MI
  • Wrote and delivered lectures pertaining to research paper composition
  • Developed syllabi for distinct 12 and 15 week courses
  •  Received excellent student reviews in all classes.
  • Developed curriculum for, and taught, Technical Writing class
 
Project Editor Contracted to Complete Curriculum, LLC - 2009-2010, Independent Contractor, Detroit, MI
  • Edited multiple K-12 textbooks in English and Mathematics
  • Completed design prep and proofreading duties on 400+ page textbooks
  • Wrote extensive new content and created new graphics for many texts

Graduate Assistant  –Business Writing Program- 2006 - 2009, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV
  • Taught English 407a – Business Writing to advanced undergraduate students
  • Instructed students in advanced composition of professional memos, reports, and letters
  • Wrote supplemental presentations to enhance understanding of business writing practices and ethics

RAJ Coordinator -  2009, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV
  • Worked with IT and Facility services to ensure timely resolution of computer and environmental issues
  • Served as point-of-contact between graduate students and faculty, issuing memos and enforcing codes of conduct

Graduate Assistant  – Composition Program - 2006 - 2009, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV
  • Taught English 101 – Composition 1 to a diverse body of undergraduate students with widely varying skill, experience, and comprehension levels.
  • Instructed students in essential composition basics including MLA format, citation, structure, and scholarly tone
  • Wrote lectures, graded papers, and created supplemental reading and writing assignments

 Writing Center Consultant - 2006, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV
  • Assisted students with the organization, planning, and execution of papers and projects
  • Prepared reports on grammar and syntax usage
  • Applied alternative teaching methods in one-on-one conferences

Education
 
Doctoral Candidate - 2013-Present, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
  • Rhetoric and Composition program – admitted Fall of 2013
  • Developing a method and theory of sartorial rhetoric under the guidance of Dr. Frances Ranney, committee chair
  • Coursework completed in May of 2015
  • Qualifying Exams passed in November of 2015
  • Expected dissertation defense:  Summer of 2017

 
Master of Fine Arts - 2006-2009, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV
  • Studied with notable authors and critics, including Douglas Unger, Pablo Medina, and David Hickey
  • Thesis: Long novel titled “Dancing in the Ashes” – defended 2009
  • Translation of Thomas Bernhard’s An Der Baumgrenze completed in 2009
  • Produced numerous, now published, short stories and several critical essays
  • Degree conferred July 2009

Bachelor of Arts, English - 2003 - 2006, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
  • Focus in creative writing and literature – American Modern and English Victoriana, specifically
  • Graduated Magna Cum Laude, 2006


No Degree -  1995-1998, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
  • Studied English and Philosophy

 
Awards

  • Yelda Endowed Scholarship for English (2005, 2006)

  • Loughead-Eldredge Endowed Scholarship in Creative Writing (2005, 2006)

  • Tompkins Award (Runner-Up, 2006 & 2014)

  • Christopher Leland Endowed Scholarship in Creative Writing (2014)

  • Stephen H. Tudor Memorial Scholarship in Creative Writing (2014)
  
 
Publications
           
  • Short story “Hands” appeared in Danse Macabre Magazine, November 2009

  • Short story “The Purse” appeared in the Superstition Review,  December 2009

  • Short story “One Thousand Shekels, Fifteen Agurot” appeared in The November 3rd Club, February 2010

  • Co-Author / Chief Editor of “Virtualization Changes Everything,” ISBN 978-1477566718, published June 2012

  • Short story “Trees of Heaven” published in Hero Magazine, October 2016

Conference Presentations
           
  • WPA 2015, Boise, ID – How to Be Writing or Multimodal Multigenre Explorations of What it Means to Write.

  • MCEA 2015, Grand Rapids, MI - Dressed to Distress: Introducing Identity Conflict to Professional Writing Classrooms through Fashion and Style

  • CCCC 2016, Houston, TX – Digital Spaces, Video Faces: Ethos and Discourse in the Online Classroom

  • Cultural Rhetorics 2016, Lansing, MI – I Am Because of You: The Politics of Ubuntu and Apology in Post-Apartheid South Africa

  • CPTSC 2016, Savannah, GA - Tech Comm @ Tech Town
 
Memberships

  • Member, Phi Beta Kappa, Gamma Chapter

  • Member, Modern Language Association

  • Member, International Society for the History of Rhetoric

  • Member, National Council of Teacher's of English

  • Member, Michigan College English Association

  • Member, Association of Teachers of Technical Writing

  • Member, National Communication Association
 

Service

  • Contributing Member, Wayne State University Technical Communication Composition Subcommittee. Overhauling, developing, and streamlining assignments and curriculum for Wayne State University’s Tech Com program, including English 3050 (reports) and English 3060 (presentations)

  • Contributing Member, Wayne State University Professional Communication Composition Subcommittee.  Translated materials from WSU’s technical communication program into a more inclusive professional curriculum. 

  • Union Steward – GEOC / AFT Local 6123.  Designated English Department steward, acting as a point of contact and liaison to a substantial portion of Wayne State’s English Department graduate teaching staff.

  • Member, Wayne State University Awards Committee.  Evaluating student fiction, poetry, drama, and creative nonfiction for determination of scholarships and awards.

  • Member, Mentoring Committee. Welcomed and collaborated with new graduate students in order to help them better transition from student to instructor through meetings, discussion, and observation.
 

Courses Taught and Designed

  • English 101 / 102  (Introductory Composition) – In this introductory composition pairing, I had the opportunity to teach college freshmen and sophomores, many of whom had very little formal writing experience, in the practice of composing traditional Aristotelian rhetorical essays and scholarly research and citation practices.  MLA and APA format, enthymemic arrangement, Aristotelian modes of discourse, and the Ciceronian canon.

  • English 116 (Technical Writing) – This mid-low level introductory course allowed professionally-minded students to explore the forms and conventions of reports, memos, presentations, and job-seeking documents (cover letters and resumes) while also introducing students to a reader-centered approach, ethical concerns in technical writing, and career perspectives for fledgling technical writers.

  • English 221 (Advanced Composition) – This workshop class allowed students to interact closely in peer groups, contributing to class discussions and organically navigating compositional practices to produce a substantial body of written work geared towards scientific research and academic exposition.

  • English 3050 (Technical Communication – Reports) – Comparable in content to my English 116 course, Wayne State University’s English 3050 nevertheless required new lecture materials, new assignments, and a new level of online integration.  I co-designed this class with the WSU Tech Com subcommittee using pre-existing assignment documents as a pilot program for new course materials and an online content delivery model.

  • English 3060 (Technical Communication – Presentations) – This course is an extension of WSU’s ENG 3050, and shifts the focus away from written work (memos, letters, resumes, etc) and on to oral presentations delivered with visual aids, specifically electronic slide decks like PowerPoint and Prezi. 
 
 
Additional Non-Academic Career Experience
 
Security Consultant and Copywriter - 2007-2008, Last Second Media, Las Vegas, NV
  • ·Developed ad copy, scripts, and integrated campaign materials for direct marketing concerns using web and television advertising programs.
  • Built and secured physical office data networks and end-user PCs
  • ·Managed B to B and B to C communications.

Subcontractor (Technician) -  2002-2003, TekSystems, Southfield, MI

  • Participated in Outlook rollout and migration at the General Motors Pontiac Validation plant
  • Trained over 300 users in basics of email, computer, and web usage
 
 
Support Technician - 2000-2002, BondDesk LLC, Rochester Hills, MI

  • Provided phone support to hundreds of product users from the financial sector
  • Coordinated trouble ticket tracking and distribution, and issue resolution, for programming and web development teams
 
Senior Help Desk Technician - 1998-2000, FANUC Robotics, Auburn Hills, MI
  • Provided phone support to 1,200-user Auburn Hills corporate facility
  • Acted as tier-II (desktop) technician for users in IT,