Monday, November 7, 2011

WCHP goes to NCPTW

The National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing was a fantastic experience. I was very grateful to sit in on some very interesting conversations and presentations. Many thanks goes out to the coordinators of the conference, especially Kevin Dvorak, who put the WCHP flyer right in the conference program. Thanks Kevin!

On Sunday morning, the last day of the conference, the WCHP held a workshop for about 25 participants. It was a lot of fun: we talked about the project, brainstormed for ideas, wrote our own original haiku, and shared them at the end.

Together, we brainstormed a not-at-all comprehensive list of what comes to mind when we think of working in a writing center. I am recreating that here as a reference for anyone else who needs a little prompt:

Collaboration
Different hats
Workshop
Water cooler
Argyle
Friendly
Insanely busy
Stapler
Can we use your phone?
Can I print this here?
Candy. Coffee.
Psychology/ calm down.
Chalk dust
youtube
citations – professor’s own citation
bad prompts
forgot my assignment
FLOW
Grammar, commas,
It’s due today
Retyping it
I will pick this up later
Magic happening
Positive
Instant gratification
Hugs Also puns
Supportive faculty
Take this to the Center
Purdue OWL
Diana hacker
Standing appts
Late appts
No shows
What grade would you give this?
The Ah-ha (not the band)
Reverse outlines
Brainstorming
Baked goods
Tiny
stuffy
no windows
awesome couches
Prometheus/ white boards

Also, the idea of multimedia and multi-lingual haiku was floated at the workshop. My response was that we want to include as many voices as possible in the project. While we are hoping this will be a printed work, there will be space of some sort for anything you want to include, possibly on a cd/dvd or on an independent website.

That's it for now. Happy haiku-ing!

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Ramping Up the Project...

Slowly but surely,this project is taking off! Here is the flyer that will be going into all of the packets at the National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing:



I will also be at the conference presenting on the Boise State Writing Center scaled-up email consultation service. I would be happy to talk about the haiku project, so let me know if you want to meet up!

In other news, we have been getting a lot more submissions lately. We will be responding to those submissions starting in January-ish, or maybe sooner if we get the time. As of today, we do not have a deadline for submissions--it really just depends on when we accept enough material to fill the anthology. However, that could change on a moments notice. If you are planning to send in a submission, do it sooner rather than later, so you won't miss your opportunity. I look forward to it!

Lastly, here is a call for submissions in haiku format by Sara Ruthven, former BSU WC consultant:

We seek haikus now
about writing center stuff:
share your tears and fears.

Well said, Sara :)

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Consider the following...

At the end of the first week of the project we already have submissions to consider. That is fantastic! We also have been getting a lot of positive feedback about the project--many have said that this is a project that is both fun and makes a lot of sense. We think so too. There is so much about working in the writing center that goes beyond pedagogy and the words on the page. That's what this project is about. What draws us to the work? What makes it worthwhile? What are the takeaways for our own writing? Where will the work take you? Where will it take the writers we serve? These are just a few questions to consider. When you think of the Writing Center, what comes to mind? What do you feel? Put that in a haiku.

Submission Guidelines

Writing Center related and inspired haiku in the 5-7-5 form. They can be about any aspect of Writing Center work from pedagogy and experiences to feelings or proposed research. We want to see a range.

Send your work to fredrickcoonrod@boisestate.edu in the body of the email. Any attachments will be deleted unread. Be sure to include your contact info and the name of the Writing Center you represent.

There is no restriction on who can submit: new consultants, veteran or ex-consultants, directors, or even writers who visited a Writing Center can submit a haiku.

Currently there will be no payment for accepted work, but that may change as the project evolves.

Send any queries to fredrickcoonrod@boisestate.edu.

We look forward to reading your work!

Monday, July 4, 2011

The project

In a random conversation, a few of us in the Boise State Writing Center decided to put together a collection of Writing Center haikus. I have a pipe dream that this will be a printed and bound collection, but it may very well end up as a blog or website. I will of course pursue all options.

What we want:
Writing Center related and inspired haiku in the 5-7-5 form. They can be about any aspect of Writing Center work from pedagogy and experiences to feelings or proposed research. I want to see a range. Send your work to fredrickcoonrod@boisestate.edu in the body of the email. Any attachments will be deleted unread. Be sure to include your contact info and the name of the Writing Center you represent.

There is no restriction on who can submit: new consultants, veteran or ex-consultants, directors, or even writers who visited a Writing Center can submit a haiku. Currently there will be no payment for accepted work, but that may change as the project evolves.

Send any queries to fredrickcoonrod@boisestate.edu.

Why Haiku?

The haiku (the 5-7-5 syllable version) is short, rigid in form, and yet surprisingly versatile and often inspiring. A session in the Writing Center can be like that for a writer. While sessions are often required, and generally timed, they can be a place of great creativity and clarity. Simple conversation can facilitate complex understanding. Magic can happen with just a few words. The haiku is a manifestation of all of these traits.