diff --git a/src/libstd/uv.rs b/src/libstd/uv.rs
index 906771d53c87..30c8cbd9c4e0 100644
--- a/src/libstd/uv.rs
+++ b/src/libstd/uv.rs
@@ -282,7 +282,7 @@ native mod rustrt {
                            addr: *libc::c_void,
                            after_cb: *u8) -> libc::c_int;
     fn rust_uv_write(req: *libc::c_void, stream: *libc::c_void,
-             buf_in: *uv_buf_t, buf_cnt: libc::c_int,
+             buf_in: **libc::c_void, buf_cnt: libc::c_int,
              cb: *u8) -> libc::c_int;
 
     // sizeof testing helpers
@@ -336,8 +336,11 @@ mod direct {
                                     address, after_connect_cb);
     }
 
+    // TODO github #1402 -- the buf_in is a vector of pointers
+    // to malloc'd buffers .. these will have to be translated
+    // back into their value types in c. sigh.
     unsafe fn write(req: *libc::c_void, stream: *libc::c_void,
-             buf_in: *[uv_buf_t], cb: *u8) -> libc::c_int {
+             buf_in: *[*libc::c_void], cb: *u8) -> libc::c_int {
         let buf_ptr = vec::unsafe::to_ptr(*buf_in);
         let buf_cnt = vec::len(*buf_in) as i32;
         ret rustrt::rust_uv_write(req, stream, buf_ptr, buf_cnt, cb);
@@ -945,7 +948,7 @@ fn test_uv_timer() {
 
 type request_wrapper = {
     write_req: *uv_write_t,
-    req_buf: *[uv_buf_t]
+    req_buf: *[*libc::c_void]
 };
 
 crust fn on_alloc(handle: *libc::c_void,
diff --git a/src/rt/rust_uv.cpp b/src/rt/rust_uv.cpp
index 54b95ac6fcbc..c62af8edf405 100644
--- a/src/rt/rust_uv.cpp
+++ b/src/rt/rust_uv.cpp
@@ -302,9 +302,15 @@ rust_uv_tcp_connect(uv_connect_t* connect_ptr,
 
 extern "C" int
 rust_uv_write(uv_write_t* req, uv_stream_t* handle,
-			  uv_buf_t* bufs, int buf_cnt,
+			  void** bufs, int buf_cnt,
 			  uv_write_cb cb) {
-	return uv_write(req, handle, bufs, buf_cnt, cb);
+	// TODO github #1402 -- convert this array of pointers to
+    // uv_buf_t into an array of uv_buf_t values
+	uv_buf_t buf_vals[buf_cnt];
+	for(int ctr = 0; ctr < buf_cnt; ctr++) {
+	  buf_vals[ctr] = *((uv_buf_t*)bufs[ctr]);
+	}
+	return uv_write(req, handle, buf_vals, buf_cnt, cb);
 }
 
 extern "C" sockaddr_in