Spring 2013 Graduate Student Colloquium

Why work at the Writing Center? Why put in the time and effort to help other student writers work on their homework when you could be working on yours? Why stay working at any Writing Center longer than a semester or two?  Most seasoned writing center consultants know the challenges of thinking critically with students as we help them interpret assignments and craft specific language to communicate their critical thoughts in response to the assignment. The energy we spend in the Writing Center can sometimes even make it difficult to produce our own school work and yet we come  back.

We come back to working at the Writing Center (those of us who do) because we can see the long term value in what we're doing. We know that we're developing and honing skills that will serve us in the future. Also, we know Writing Center consultants go on to do really awesome stuff. For example, three former Writing Center consultants will present at the Spring 2013 Graduate Student Colloquium!

The Colloquium will be held Friday, April 5 in Kettler 146. Refreshments will be served at 6:30 p.m. and presentations begin at 7 pm. All are welcome to attend.

Former consultant Melissa Hirsch, with Deakin Chipps, will present "Revaluing Reading: Theories and Models for First Year Composition." 

Naomi Stephens will present "Swindled, Forged, and Ruined: Debt-Motivated Suicides in Sensation Fiction." 

Former consultant Craig Skinner will present "Existential Undercurrents in the Fiction of Stephen Crane," and Leslie Mackey, former consultant and current Confluence editor, will present "From Walls to Paper: Defining Design Literacy and Establishing Textual Meaning through Spatial Manipulation." 

These presentations are sure to be thoughtful, critical, and valuable. In addition, this sort of event, while being a proud moment for the Department of English and Linguistics and for these five graduate students, also is an important legacy event for the Writing Center. Their work demonstrates the sort of achievement common to IPFW writing consultants and writing consultants elsewhere. Being able to contribute to knowledge construction is part of why we consult, even when the knowledge construction is someone else's. As shown, writing consulting truly prepares us to make remarkable contributions and achieve more even after completing our time at the Writing Center.

If you are interested or know anyone who would be interested in becoming a Writing Center consultant, applications are available in the Writing Center or on our website.