Letter from the Director

Dear all,

Have you noticed that, in ISUComm Foundation Courses, Multimodal Remix & Argument season coincides with the decorative gourd/gratitude season? In the spirit of the season, I want to share some multimodal arguments I’m grateful to have encountered recently:

• “Someday I’ll Love Leila Chatti” by Leila Chatti in the Fall 2025 issue of The Georgia Review. I happened upon an arresting line someone posted, so I looked up the poem. I have read it and shared it over and over.
• Neko Case’s most recent album, Neon Gray Midnight Green. Her Fox Confessor Brings the Flood was part of my graduate school soundtrack, and this new album both takes me back and grounds me in the present.
• Come See Me in the Good Light, a documentary about poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley. I’ve had the 11/14 release date marked on my calendar for months, and I was not disappointed–crushed, inspired, moved, and lots of other feelings, but not disappointed.
• Maggie O’Farrell’s 2019 memoir, I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death. I recently listened to this book for the second time, and I feel the same way I felt the first time: I’ll never get over it.

I’m excited to hear about what your students compose in their multimodal assignments. Make a note when you encounter something special because Amy Walton will contact instructors about student awards before long.

Below you’ll find a profile of Tara Labovich, multimodal presentation ideas from Ben Parker and Emily Riley, and New TA Q&A with Dina Gadieva and Sam Richardson. We are fortunate to work with and learn from such thoughtful, creative instructors. Make sure to check out their contributions.

I’m grateful for the work you all do with students and each other. Thank you!

Lesley