Composition Forum 23 - The Summer Institute for Writing Center Directors and Professionals - A Narrative Bibliography

Oct 15, 2026

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Compilation of a narrative bibliography on scholarship and publication produced from the first seven International Writing Centers Association (IWCA) Summer Institutes for Writing Center Directors and Professionals. Entries document web publications, peer-reviewed journal articles, conference presentations, dissertations, and one book, followed by author narratives explaining influence, development, collaboration, and mentoring. The work argues institutes cultivate an active community of practice, shaping professional and scholarly identity. It analyzes publication patterns and offers suggestions for future collaborative development.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages25

Reading Time1 h 3 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background and purpose

Writing groups and publishing activities

Rationale for documenting effects and future conversations

CF 23: “The Summer Institute for Writing Center Directors and Professionals” by Rebecca Babcock, Thomas ... Page 1 of 25 Composition Forum 23, Spring 2011 [http://compositionforum.com/issue/23/](http://compositionforum.com/issue/23/) The Summer Institute for Writing Center Directors and Professionals: A Narrative Bibliography [[http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&username=compforum](http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&username=compforum)] Rebecca Babcock, Thomas Ferrel, and Moira Ozias Abstract: Since 2003, the International Writing Centers Association has held a Summer Institute for Writing Center Directors and Professionals. Encouragement of scholarship, writing, and publication are important aspects of the institute. We have compiled a bibliography of scholarly works emerging from the first seven institutes. These works include web publications, peerreviewed journal articles, conference presentations, dissertations, and one book. The entry for each work is followed by a narrative by the author or authors describing the influence of the Summer Institute, how they conceived and developed the work, and how they met their collaborators. Through these narratives we see that the IWCA Summer Institute offers a model for seeding an active community of practice that brings people together from diverse institutions, giving them new perspectives on their work through mentoring, collaboration, and the development of professional friendships. For many, this also results in development of a professional and scholarly identity more deeply connected to writing centers and their attendant fields. We also speculate on the meaning of identified publication patterns and make suggestions for future endeavors. For years, professional conferences have gathered people with like interests, like scholarship, and like concern for sharing knowledge and building networks. They have contributed to the growth and development of disciplines, as venues for learning and gathering feedback on works in progress. Conferences do not, however, provide much opportunity for sustained dialogue, collaboration, or the working through of actual drafts of writing. Because of this, organizations such as the National Writing Project and the Council of Writing Program Administrators have begun institutes and workshops that provide more prolonged opportunities for professional learning. Taking the WPA Workshop and Frank Christ’s learning center institutes as models (Gillespie, Hughes, Lerner & Geller), Paula Gillespie and Brad Hughes co-chaired the first International Writing Centers Association Summer Institute in 2003. Now, every summer writing center directors and professionals from all over the world convene for a week at the annual International Writing Centers Association (IWCA) Summer Institute for Writing Center Directors and Professionals. We believe that the IWCA Summer Institute and other institutes like it represent important disciplinary practices and cultural phenomena capable of producing institutional and personal development in ways that coursework and conferences cannot. Therefore, we are attempting to document through narrative some of the less visible effects ofthe IWCA Summer Institutes. During a time when budgets are strained and teachers often feel isolated, we hope that the narratives below will provide data useful in building the case for developing and supporting extended, collaborative professional development opportunities. Furthermore, we hope that the narratives and our reflections will spark additional conversations about collegiality and what it means to be a scholar who values collaboration and interaction in the ways that Paulo Freire, bell hooks, Myles Horton, and other such scholars theorize; for us, this signifies the enactment of egalitarianism, in-depth conversations, reflection, revision, action, social/playful interactions, and reciprocity between theory and praxis. [http://compositionforum.com/issue/23/su

FAQs

What does the narrative bibliography compile from IWCA Summer Institutes?

It compiles scholarly works that emerged from the first seven institutes, including web publications, peer-reviewed journal articles, conference presentations, dissertations, and one book.

How are the entries structured in the bibliography?

Each work’s entry is followed by a narrative by the author or authors describing how the Summer Institute influenced the work, how it was conceived and developed, and how collaborators were met.

Why do the authors emphasize institutes over conferences or coursework?

They argue institutes provide more sustained dialogue and collaboration, supporting professional learning through mentoring, collaboration, and writing processes that conferences do not typically sustain.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by jayni