Writing centers exist in overlapping and dynamic ecosystems. Interconnected in these ecosystems are living actors—like consultants, writers, campus collaborators, community partners, and land—and non-living actors—like buildings, cities, and material objects. However, there are also other actors, similar to coral or fungi, things that don’t look like they are alive, but are. Things like articles, blogs, journals, texts, posters, and conference presentations; they aren’t “alive,” but they take on a life of their own. Each writing center’s ecosystem has a unique environment shaped by lived experiences, personal studies, and institutional realities and  obligations that result in different writing center expressions. Like all ecosystems, writing centers are not static—they change, grow, recede, mature, and bloom.

We invite you to think critically about what it means to grow within a writing center, writing program, or other writing-related initiative and what have been the actors and influences that have shaped your own writing center, or your experience within your writing center. Explain how the actors within your ecosystem blend to create your writing center or shape you. Consider the expected or unexpected details that have allowed you and your writing center to bloom and develop. At the same time, explore what factors have caused your center to recede or what you feel has been missed.

Here are some possibilities to explore:

Interaction with Actors

  • Who are the most critical actors in your ecosystem?
  • What actors are missing from your ecosystem, actors that you wish were available?
  • Where are the conflicts with actors?
  • What are some resolutions with actors?
  • What happens when an actor works against your writing center?
  • How does collaboration help your writing center “grow?”
  • Do all of the actors work well together?
  • Who are some hidden or quiet actors?
  • What actors are missing from your ecosystem?
  • When actors collide, what are the next steps?
  • How clear is the power structure among the actors?
  • Which actors are intentionally invited into the delicate ecosystem of your writing center?

Challenges

  • What are the current challenges in your writing center?
  • How have writers with varied life experiences affected your ecosystem?
  • What changes in the social climate within your ecosystem affect your writing center?
  • How are the effects of COVID-19 still lingering?
  • What AI discussions are happening in your ecosystem?

Opportunities

  • How can working with a specific actor help your writing center “grow?”
  • Where are the gaps in your ecosystem that your writing center could fill?
  • What collaborations do you envision?
  • What new actors could be brought into your ecosystem?
  • How could you reach a new or larger audience or writers?

    Philosophical

    • How does a writing center form?
    • What is required for a writing center?
    • What is a “healthy” writing center?
    • Is growth always a positive?
    • When is it time to prune?
    • Unplanned growth often happens. When should this growth be nurtured and when should it be pruned?

    Training 

    • We all have access to the same narrative, lore, scholarship, and community sources, but we all “bloom” differently—what parts of the narrative, lore, scholarship, and community sources are intentionally used?
    • What parts are intentionally NOT used?
    • What are points of disagreement?
    • What is confusing?
    • What do/did you find the most useful?
    • What does training in your ecosystem look like?
    • Who is involved in the training?
    • What external actors shape the training?
    • How does the training feed back into the philosophy and administration of your writing center?

    Consultants

    • How have you grown as a consultant
    • What skills have you developed
    • What do you find unexpected about your ecosystem?
    • How do other consultants impact your ecosystem?
    • How do consultants contribute to the atmosphere of the ecosystem?


      This is not an exhaustive list, and we are happy to see other topics.

      Session Types (Each session block is 50 minutes)

      • Individual Presentation: A presenter shares their experience and perspective on a specific topic and is scheduled with other similar presentations, followed by a Q&A session.
      • Panel Presentation: A diverse group of presenters shares their experiences and perspectives on a specific topic, followed by a Q&A session.
      • Workshop: A hands-on, interactive session that actively engages participants.
      • Collaborative Writing Workshop: A hands-on, interactive session in which participants collectively create content.
      • Roundtable Discussion: A presenter creates questions for and facilitates a small-group discussion on a specific topic.
      • Multimodal Gallery Display: A variety of multimodal projects (e.g., posters, comics, photos, video essays, podcasts) displayed throughout the days of the conference. Displays include interactive elements, such as QR codes linking to digital content, so that conference attendees can engage asynchronously with these displays.

      Submit Your Proposal

      Submissions open: 10 October 2025

      Deadline: 14 November 2025

      Approval Notifications: 30 January 2026


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