Improving writing: the gateway to success through conference participation

We understand the challenges that all writers encounter and the effort they put into creating meaningful content. Whenever a writer walks into the writing center, they are focused more on completing the assignment for the course or getting higher grades. Yet I think that there should be more avenues for consultants and writing center administrators to demonstrate their skills. This would not only celebrate their writing skills but also allow them to voice out their writing, which ultimately opens doors to immense opportunities. One of the best way to display your expertise and share your insights with a wider audience would be by participating in conferences.  

The Watson Conference in Rhetoric and Composition is one such conference that allows individuals to demonstrate their skills and ideas. This will open doors for the initiation of collaborative projects and enhance access for participation. The conference consists of several projects mainly focusing on graduate students and the faculty.  For example, ‘The Graduate Reading Exchange’ is one of the collaborative projects that graduate students could join, and ‘Grit Is Not It: Reckoning with Resilience in “Post” – Pandemic FYC’ is another project the faculty could join. This would be a great avenue for writing center folks to connect, collaborate, and enhance their skills. So, do not hesitate – explore these conference opportunities, share your thoughts, and embrace the transformative experience that awaits you.

If you’re a busy graduate student, you might be wondering, “Why should you take part in a conference?” Participating in a conference allows you to demonstrate your skills and knowledge in a perceptible way. A significant advantage of conference participation is the opportunity to network. Here, you will connect with professionals and fellow writers who share your passion. This is a platform that fosters collaboration and helps you improve your skills. Conferences are also about learning. You will get the opportunity to attend sessions, engage in discussions, discover new writing techniques, gain insights, and widen your knowledge as a writer. This will further help you boost your confidence.

Applying to conferences is a decision that could redefine your journey as a writer. It is an investment in yourself and your skills.  If you’re interested in taking part in the Watson, there are collaborative teams dedicated to:

•  Fostering partnerships between Two Year/Four-Year college writing programs (Zoom)
• Fostering connections between high school and college writing (Zoom)
• Creating an App to support ungrading. (Zoom)
• Organizing and humanizing the teaching track in rhetoric and composition (Zoom)
• Thinking through how reading and writing can work as reflexive tools. (Zoom)
• The use of zines to imagine a more humane, restorative, and just world of higher education (Hybrid)
• Translating Chatino prayers and political speech (Hybrid)
• Collecting and sharing counterstories from indigenous peoples for an edited collection (in person)
• Producing a public syllabus focused on writing for movement-building, activism, and social justice. (in person)
• Creating a statement of purpose and values for a tentative trans studies conference (in person)
• Creating a team-authored website demystifying the specialized disciplinary reading and writing practices of graduate students (in person)
• Examining what the term resilience has meant, how it is inequitably applied in First Year Composition, and how it might be more productively re-defined. Ultimately, this group will create an archive of prompts that work to activate resilience in FYC. (in person)
• Beginning a large-scale, multi-institutional study of graduate student writing development with a particular focus on underrepresented domestic and international students’ experiences in graduate programs. (in person)

We’ll see you there!