🎙️ Episode 0: Welcome to Rhetorically Speaking – Your New Go-To for Rhetoric, AP Language, and Real-World Writing

To listen to this episode click on the Rhetorically Speaking icon at the top of the page!

Or click here for the episode!

Hello, writers, thinkers, and future communicators! Whether you’re in my classroom right now, a former student keeping in touch, or a curious listener just discovering this corner of the internet—welcome to Rhetorically Speaking.

This podcast (and now blog) is your new home base for everything we’re learning in UT OnRamps Rhetoric and AP English Language and Composition. In every episode, I break down big ideas in language, rhetoric, writing, and communication—and explain them in a way that’s clear, practical, and actually useful. If you've ever asked, “Why do we need to know this?” or “Will this be on the test?”—you're in the right place.

🧠 What You’ll Find Here:

Each post will follow the podcast episodes closely, providing:

• Quick recaps of major concepts like SPACECAT, ethos/pathos/logos, and rhetorical situations

• Strategies for mastering rhetorical analysis, source integration, and persuasive appeals

• Student-focused tools to help you prepare for essays, college-level assignments, and AP exams

• Encouragement when writing gets tough or confusing

📚 Who This Blog (and Podcast) Is For:

• Current students in my UT OnRamps or AP Lang classes

• Former students looking to refresh or revisit rhetorical concepts

• Future students wondering what to expect

• Anyone who wants to think more critically and write more clearly

📣 Spread the Word!

Subscribe to the podcast using Spotify for now! (Apple Podcasts & Google Podcasts coming soon!) —and share it with your friends, classmates, and anyone who could use a little extra help with rhetoric. You can also access all episodes right here on the class website.

This is more than a class. This is a conversation.

Thanks for being here. Let’s get started.

— Ms. McGill 🎧✍️