A Writing Center Journal
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.
“The idea of a “communication center” takes a holistic approach to tutoring communication in all its various forms: oral, written, and visual rhetoric. However, many, if not most, writing center programs focus primarily on the ‘writing’ of writing centers, making an artificial divide between oral and visual communication tutoring and writing tutoring. “
Read More“What is prison, if not a community of social outcasts looking for the opportunity of redemption through education? That may be a loaded question, but the fact remains that collaboration behind these walls is essential for any and every kind of growth and learning experience, educational or otherwise.”
Read More“On the rare occasions that I have worked with creative writing assignments, the students were always more concerned with sentence-level issues than anything else. As a fiction writer myself, as someone who’s spent a frankly ridiculous amount of time studying and analysing theme and plot structure and narrative and who loves nothing more than half a chance to talk about it, I’ve always found this a bit disheartening.”
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We here at Praxis are proud and excited to present to you our Spring 2019 Special Issue on Race & The Writing Center. Thank you so much to our authors, editorial review board, copy-editing team, and especially, to our guest editors Dr. Karen Keaton Jackson of North Carolina Central University and Dr. Mick Howard of Langston University, who bring us a special section on HBCUs and Minority Serving Institutions. We are so grateful to be part of amplifying these important conversations.
You can read the full issue here.
On a personal note here at Praxis, we are saddened to say goodbye to Sarah but proud to send her off with an issue she was so instrumental in bringing about. Sarah has been our dedicated, conscientious editor for the last two years, a mentor and teacher to our copy-editing staff and the rest of the editorial team. She has pushed to broaden our readership and our submission pool, both for our journal and for Axis, our blog, and throughout she has shown a dedication to preserving and maintaining our authors’ voices. She has encouraged Praxis to continue creating space and amplifying new, vital, often overlooked voices, and for that we are so grateful. Thank you, Sarah, for all of your time with us!
We’d also like to extend a warm welcome to our new managing editor Fiza Mairaj, a Ph.D. student in the Educational Policy and Planning program at the University of Texas at Austin. Fiza’s research interests and her experience as a graduate writing consultant make her a great fit for Praxis, and we look forward to working with her, beginning Fall 2019.
An undergraduate writing consultant reflects on the connection between time management and productive consultations..
Read More"On many campuses, there is still an assumption that students who go to the writing center require “fixing.” Staff members know that this characterization often misrepresents our intended purpose, reflecting two different expectations. The question becomes: how do we resist the assumed “role” of writing centers created by our institutions?”
Read MoreSome thoughts after our return home from the conference.
Read MoreAlison Green, a graduate student and writing center consultant at Oklahoma State University, offers guidance for working with d/Deaf and hard of hearing consultees.
Read MorePraxis Managing Editor and SCWCA Texas Representative Sarah Riddick reflects on her experience at the 2019 SCWCA Conference.
Read More“I live for experience. I don’t know what I want to do in the future so at this point in time, I’m just trying to do my best at whatever the tasks are at hand.” An interview with our new Digital Content Manager, Brandon Nguyen.
Read More“When we talked through the reasoning behind our opinion—none of them fell into one of the million fallacies I was expecting. I paused for a few seconds wondering What am I supposed to do now? as he looked at my face with curiosity.”
Read MoreAfter a restful winter break, we here at Praxis are happy to return for our spring semester.
Read MoreWe are pleased to announce the publication of our Fall 2018 issue of Praxis, “Efficacy in the Writing Center.”
Read More“What I miss, in this literature, is the most profound experience that teaching yoga has given to me: not just teaching students how to fail as writers, but teaching me how to fail as a teacher.”
Read MoreOne of our graduate student consultants reflects on his experience at this year’s National Conference on Peer Tutoring and Writing.
Read MoreDr. Patricia Roberts-Miller, Executive Editor of Praxis and Director of UT Austin’s University Writing Center, discusses copy-editing in the writing center.
Read More“This experience showed me that as much as writing center work can often feel like the sum of day-to-day operations, it’s also the result of the hard and dedicated effort of a wide range of people deeply committed to helping student writers find their voices in their academic and civic communities.”
Read More“We can talk talk talk all day long, but there's no substitute for doing it. The guy with a theory (the expert) will always be at the mercy of the guy with an experience (the amateur). Beginner's mind. We are unabashed amateurs.”
Read More“In honor of Praxis’ forthcoming special issue, ‘Race & the Writing Center,’ I’d like to spotlight one workshop in particular that continues to resonate with me and has productively influenced our writing center: ‘Beyond Inclusion: Developing a Mindful Approach to Racial Justice in Tutor Training,’ created by Natasha Tinsley, Hillary Coenen, Lisa Wright, and Fehintola Folerin. [. . .]
Useful as it is to regularly discuss the importance of antiracist work, we also need to regularly practice it. Tinsley et al.'s workshop presents the means to do so with its challenging, welcoming, and accessible series of activities.”
Read More“Things will get crazy in "the last best place" (Davis), sooner or later. Anybody who has been with us any length of time knows this. Don't fear it. Embrace it. Use it as a catalyst for creativity.”
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