John Duffy is associate professor of English and director of the University Writing Program. He is the author of Writing from These Roots: The Historical Development of Literacy in A Hmong American Community (University of Hawaii Press, 2007), and the co-editor, with Martin Nystrand, of Towards a Rhetoric of Everyday Life: New Directions in Research on Writing, Text, and Discourse (University of Wisconsin Press, 2003). He has published articles on the concept of "preliteracy," the uses of writing in a guerrilla army, and literacy development in an immigrant community. He teaches courses on writing, literacy, rhetoric, and literature. Outside the Writing Center, he enjoys riding his bike up steep hills, listening to Irish music, and predicting national championships for Notre Dame athletic teams.