Mark your calendars!
September 15-17, 2014 | Wildacres Retreat, Little Switzerland, NC (Directions) | $185 (includes 2 nights lodging and 5 meals)
*Proposal deadline: Monday, August 25, 2014
Conference Theme and Design
Carolinas Writing Program of Administrators is accepting proposals for its Eleventh Annual Fall Conference at Wildacres. This year, we want to celebrate the research we do as WPA’s. We encourage proposals that allow participants to present their research in different stages—from manuscript-ready to collected raw data to seeds of ideas—and that will lead to discussion about future directions that work might take. We also encourage proposals that focus on balancing a research agenda with the demands of being a WPA. As part of the conference, David Blakesley from Clemson University will provide a brief keynote and facilitate a workshop to help us consider the work we do as research by illustrating the various avenues, methods, and methodologies of publishing. In addition, time will be allotted for small group discussion so those presenting can work through their questions with attendees.
Conference Schedule and Format
The conference will begin at 5:00 pm on Monday, September 15, and will conclude at 10:00 am on Wednesday, September 17.
The format of the conference will encourage full engagement of participants from a broad variety of institutions and programs. We will mix small, working group discussions with larger presentations/conversations about who we are as writers, researchers, and WPA’s. Proposals will be accepted pending space.
Keynote Speaker and Workshop Facilitator
David Blakesley, Clemson University
David Blakesley is the Robert S. Campbell Chair in Technical Communication and Professor of English at Clemson University, where he also serves as the Faculty Representative to the Board of Trustees. He is the publisher and founder of Parlor Press (http://www.parlorpress.com), now in its twelfth year. Two Parlor Press books have won the Best Book Award from the Council of Writing Program Administrators, including the award this year for GenAdmin: Theorizing WPA Identities in the Twenty-First Century by Colin Charlton, Jonikka Charlton, Tarez Samra Graban, Kathleen J. Ryan, and Amy Ferdinandt Stolley. In 2014, he became an Adobe Education Leader. Prior to joining Clemson, he served as the WPA for Purdue University’s Professional Writing Program for ten years, and, prior to Purdue, as Director of Writing Studies at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.
He has authored, co-authored or edited six books, including The Elements of Dramatism (Longman), The Terministic Screen: Rhetorical Perspectives on Film (SIUP), and Writing: A Manual for the Digital Age (Cengage). His articles have appeared in WPA: Writing Program Administration, JAC: A Journal of Composition Theory, Rhetoric Society Quarterly, Composition Studies, The Writing Instructor, First Monday, Kairos, and numerous other journals and anthologies. He is also a recipient of the Charles Moran Award for Distinguished Contributions to the Field from Computers and Composition and the Distinguished Service Award from the Kenneth Burke Society.
Proposals
We invite proposals from individuals or groups from schools across the Carolinas. Each proposal should be no more than 700 words and should contain the following:
* One paragraph that describes a research project you are currently working on or one you envision
* One paragraph about your intended audience
* A sentence or two about how the research writing workshop might advance your project to submission
Provide the names and contact information (email, phone, professional affiliation) for each person associated with your proposal. Be sure to title your proposal and submit it via email to Anthony T. Atkins (atkinsa@uncw.edu) and Tracy A. Morse (morset@ecu.edu) by Monday, August 25, 2014.
Titles and authors of accepted proposals will be included on the conference schedule as formal presentations or contributions. We hope this will open up travel funding for all participants. NOTE: You do not need to present to attend the conference, but if presenting will help you secure funding, we hope you will consider submitting a proposal either individually or with colleagues from your institution.
Registration and Cost
Registration Fee: the fee of $185 includes 2 nights’ lodging and 5 meals at Wildacres, as well as all conference materials.
The registration deadline is Friday, September 5, 2015 with no refunds after Monday, September 8.
Questions or Comments? – Contact Anthony T. Atkins at atkinsa@uncw.edu and Tracy A. Morse at morset@ecu.edu