International Writing Centers Week 2007

Tomorrow (12 February) is the start of International Writing Centers Week 2007. It will run until the 18th. Here's what I wrote to WCENTER last night:

Given that it is a super-busy time of the semester, it seems like it has come at an opportune time. In between sessions, we are busily making stuff to give out to folks and plan on doing some "instant poetry" boards (just a big piece of paper in the corner where folks can write out whatever they want) and hope to barrage our campuses with information about the Student Writing Center (SWC). The campus TV folks came by and are going to put together a video about the SWC that will be shown on the video system at our 5 main campuses and I'm re-editing a video I made for IWCW2006). Although I've never been much on this sort of thing, the folks I work with are excited and have come up with some good ideas, so it should be interesting. We all decided to take on a project (which has been a tough row to hoe given how busy we've been) to do something that reflects the spirit of the week. Aside from the video (which I consider to be cheating as I did it last year) I was inspired to make a collage wall of all the pictures I've taken since 1991, my first year in the SWC. It was a nostalgic moment for me, I suppose, but I was really surprised how much interest in the history of the SWC it has generated from the Peer Writing Advisers. I've been pleased to recount to them who is who and what contributions they made to the Center. You take those learning moments as they come, I suppose.

If anything it will give us an opportunity to show off to the rest of the Community College (which is not necessarily a bad thing) and will allow us yet again to reflect on our practice and what a writing center means to an institution.

to which Chloe Diepenbrock replied

We have been having a great time planning activities for next week.

On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, we are making custom-made valentines, which has required lots of cutting out of poetry. On Thursday we'll play word-games, and on Friday evening we will host a poetry reading featuring our very own faculty poet.

Our monthly newsletter also featured a writing center time-line beginning with good old Philo Buck and ending with our own Writing Center's latest achievement.

Here's to IWCW!!

And earlier some other folks reported the following:

Although it's late, I thought I would share the activities we'll be conducting to celebrate International Writing Centers Week. We are happily stealing the "Let us be your Cyrano" Valentine's Day card idea, and we are sponsoring a "Name our New Fish (and Frog)" contest. But we're most excited about another idea that the tutors came up with. We will be conducting a donation drive for an area homeless shelter.
Throughout the week, we will have collection boxes at various locations throughout campus, where people can donate books, coloring books, crayons, children's mittens, food, and other needed items. In addition, several Writing Center tutors will be volunteering a few hours at the shelter to tutor children and adults working on their GEDs. The most exciting part is that many other St. Louis area writing centers, who are members of our local consortium, are also collecting items for the shelter and offering tutoring hours. What better way to celebrate International Writing Centers week than by extending our philosophy of one writer helping another beyond our campuses and out into the larger community.

Fran [Hooker]

and

Hi All!

When Clint posted this query about IWCA Week many weeks ago, I thought to myself, "Gee, I really need to plan something for IWCA Week." So I'd like to share now, if that's okay.

Four students in my Peer Writing Consultation course this semester are putting together a Poetry Slam, to be held at the writing center, in celebration of IWCA Week on February 16. I've been nondirectively advising the students throughout the process, but they have taken the initiative to touch base with our resident poet, design marketing materials, and comb various businesses in the city to come up with some nice prizes. (In fact, they've done so well, I think every participant will get something.) The effort has grown, and now we are looking at the slam as an event inaugurating the start of a creative writer's workshop group to meet at the writing center every Friday afternoon.

In fact, check out the blogspot they designed -- http://writingcenterslam.blogspot.com/

I like a writing center that's "by the people and for the people."

Noreen [Lape]

and

We are doing Valentines. We set up in the library main floor (we are located on the second floor) and help students and staff make (and
write) Valentines. We got the idea from this list last year, and we made a couple of hundred last year! That was without publicity--this year we plan some publicity.

Valerie M. Balester