Axis: the Praxis blog

What happens when we write? Why do we teach writing the way we do? How does writing education engage with questions of race, gender, accessibility, and cultural difference? How does the writing center function as an interdisciplinary space?

Axis extends the writing center conversation from Praxis, our peer reviewed scholarly journal, into a public forum. Exploratory, experimental, and informative, the blog speaks to questions on the cutting edge of writing center theory and practice. Axis features writing from undergraduate and graduate educators at the University of Texas at Austin, and guest writers from universities across the United States.

Hockey player David Meckler entering the penalty box.

Alex Micheu Photography from VILLACH, Austria

In our recent interview with Alejandro Omidsalar, our most recent addition to the Praxis team, he pointed out how blogs like Axis could be used to promote the writing center in ways that help our students get away from the "penalty box" perception of the writing center. That is, how do we help students come to see the writing center as more than a punishment for failing to hit the mark or more than just a fix-it shop for "bad" writing (whatever that is)?

Today, we thought we would try something a little different with the Praxis blog and solicit opinions from you, our readers, on this topic. How do you encourage students in consultations (or, if you're an instructor, your classes?) to help them become more comfortable with the services that the writing center provides? How do we get those students who feel confident about their writing in the door? What about the larger institutional infrastructures and concerns that might contribute to this perception? We know there has been much research on this topic, but we thought it would be interesting to hear thoughts on the ground from our readers. Let us know in the comments page below or on Facebook!