Ringing in the new yea--er, semester

By Abby Ponder 

Welcome back to campus, friends!

I hope you all had a wonderful and engaging summer. Whether you're a returning student or new to the hill, we're happy to see your smiling faces on campus again--and in the Writing Center.

With the start of the new semester, we're happy to announce several new developments in our neck of the woods.

First of all, while we are still very sad to see last year's graduates go, we're excited to welcome several new tutors to the Writing Center staff! As the semester progresses and we all get to know one another, we'll be posting bi-weekly tutor profiles to this blog. So, keep an eye out for some familiar and new faces alike!

Our writing-themed blog posts will also continue like usual, but we're open to suggestions for topics. Is there something in particular you really want to learn more about? Is APA giving you some trouble? Are you baffled by that block quote and why you really need it? Ask your questions and we shall deliver!

Another thing we're super excited to unveil is our newly-created writing groups!

Are you interested in learning about conference and publication opportunities? Do you thrive in a collaborative environment? Do you love to write or, in some cases, need to write?

Well, if you answered "YES" to any of the above questions, then this group is perfect for you.

There will be several meeting times throughout the week where we focus on specific areas of writing and what comes after the words have been put on paper. It is, after all, an evolving process. The general idea is that we'll come together as a group on a weekly basis to share thoughts and ideas on writing. So, whether you've got a working draft or a budding idea, come see us! It'll be a casual time for us to work together and do what we all love best: write. You'll also meet some pretty cool people, if we do say so ourselves.

For students interested in conferences or publications, you'll want to come to our meeting on Monday, September 14, at 4:30. We'll be located in the FAC Commons (Room 166). This meeting time could also be very beneficial for students working to complete Honors CE/T projects, though it is by no means limited to Honors students. If you're interested in publications/conferences or you want to brainstorm ideas with your peers, you should definitely stop by! Our first meeting will also have free snacks, which is always a plus!

For groups interested specifically in creative writing, there will also be different groups focusing solely on its sub-genres, led by our MFA students. These groups will meet at the following times:

• Fiction Writing: Wednesday, September 16, at 3:00pm in the English Department's Study Room (Cherry Hall 124)
• Poetry Writing: Wednesday, September 16, at 5:00pm in the WKU Writing Center (CH 123)
• Creative Writing Publication: Monday, September 14, at 4:00 in the WKU Writing Center (Cherry Hall 123)

Mark your calendars, but know that we'll probably have more information available as we draw closer to these dates. 

So, all in all, I think it's shaping up to be a pretty fantastic semester. We hope you'll join us for it! 

It's not me, it's you (in a good way)

Happy Monday, folks!

This post doesn't have much to say in terms of writing advice. There's a reason for that, I promise.

What this post is really designed to do is to take a moment to talk to you. (Yes, you.) Are you having a nice day? Did you have a swell weekend? What's going on in your world?

Additionally, we want to know something else: What would you like to see from this blog? What would you like to see from our Facebook page?

That may seem like a lot of questions, but we genuinely want to know.

The WKU Writing Center is here to meet your needs as a student and a writer. If you want more materials about a citation style or can't figure out where to put that comma or semi-colon, we want to help.

So, let us know!

Leave a comment below and tell us what we can do to help enhance the writing experience for you.

Photo Source

Spring 2015 Writing Center Schedule

Hi, folks! Welcome back to another semester on the hill!

We're happy to say that the WKU Writing Center is officially open for business this semester. Our Spring 2015 hours are as follows:

Cherry Hall 123

Monday - Thursday: 9am - 4pm
Friday: 9am - 1pm

Cravens

Monday - Thursday: 4pm - 9pm
Friday: CLOSED

So, schedule an appointment and come see us!

Happy Writing!

STEPS: Making a Difference in Literary Analysis Papers

The WKU Writing Center would like to announce an up-and-coming resource for students to utilize when writing literary analysis papers. 

STEPS (Students Teaching English Paper Strategies) is a web site designed to help students write good papers about literature. This site is constructed for students, by students, and provides a doable process for analyzing literature and writing about it. STEPS helps students identify literary devices, determine the themes of literary texts, develop thesis statements, and produce successful essays. The site is filled with sample essays, peer reviews, and processing notes for each step. Students will also find a helpful glossary of literary terms, with examples from various works, and links to additional writing resources. Please visit www.writingaboutliterature.com for more information.

For students taking English classes (both in or out of the major), STEPS provides relevant information for the various stages of the writing process. Sometimes, as a writer, you just get stuck and there's no real conceivable way to get out of the writing funk. However, just searching through some of the tabs on the site, I've found them to be very helpful at finding ways to propel the process along. Sometimes just reading about writing can get you ready to start writing. It's funny how that works sometimes...

There are two tabs that I found particularly helpful, as well. The "Process and Methods" and the "Resources" (the "Archives" section especially) tabs are both excellent tools to utilize. The latter section, the Archives, even has example papers and the writing process therein. Every person has their own writing (and editing) style(s), and it can be beneficial to see what works for someone else, and then try to apply similar techniques. 

The STEPS homepage.

So, whether you're stuck finding a starting point, or if you're just looking to improve your writing, we definitely encourage you to check out STEPS. The site is still in its beta-form, too, so be sure to leave any feedback you think might be helpful. 

Happy Writing! 

The 2014 Writing Center's Costume Contest and Open House = SUCCESS!

by Abby Ponder

Happy (belated) Halloween and Happy (almost) Thanksgiving, folks!

It is officially November now, and that means we're beginning to enter the season of final research papers and looming projects. But it's still early November, so don't sweat just yet. (Though maybe start looking at those assignments now instead of later...)

However, before we move full-force into November, let's first take a look back on our final days of October. Or, more aptly put, Halloween!

As you all might've known, the WKU Writing Center hosted its first Costume Contest and Open House on Halloween this year. The festivities were open to all who were interested in attending, and we had an excellent turnout!

This photo and all the ones following it are courtesy of Jacky Killian.

Our costume contest included a variety of fantastic costumes that ranged from the elusive Carmen San Diego to a dead priest. The sky was the limit for these party-goers! 

Callie Compton as Carmen San Diego, here to bring your childhood front and center. 

Zach Puckett as Roxas from Kingdom Hearts. 

Lauren Witty as the Ram Zodiac from Fairy Tail. 

Sol Govin as the devil herself! 

Sasha Hardin as Misa from Death Note.

Travis Lewis as our resident dead priest. 

Chris Nealis as a stop sign, with his trusty dog... who pees on the stop sign. 

Our photographer, Jacky Killian, as Link from Legend of Zelda.

Brittany Moster as the fabulous Hermione Granger.

Marissa Tompkins as our second, but equally fabulous, Hermione Granger.

Dori Norman as the face of the rebellion, Miss Katniss Everdeen. 

Brianna Stewart and Andi Nealis (your wonderful coordinator of the day's festivities) as the in-conquerable Dynamic Duo.

The judging panel was composed of Dr. Jane Fife, Megan Siers, and myself. We definitely had our work cut out for us when it was time to pick our winners! Though we had winners in various categories, first place overall went to Jacky Killian (Link), second place to Callie Compton (Carmen San Diego), and third place to Dori Norman (Katniss Everdeen).

In addition to the costume contest, we also had a Two-Sentence Horror Story contest. First and second place went to Andi Nealis and Brittany Moster respectively!

Overall, the Writing Center's Costume Contest was an overwhelming success. For more pictures of the festivities, be sure to check out our album on Facebook (and maybe give us a "like" while you're there)!

Above all else, we hope you all had a wonderful (and safe) Halloween! Feel free to share your own costume designs in the comments section, or tell us what you hope to do next Halloween. (Stopping by the 2015 Costume Contest better be on your agenda, too!)

And, as always, don't forget that as we move into this admittedly stressful season, the Writing Center is here to help! You can start by scheduling an appointment by clicking here and selecting a time that works well for you. We are also available for drop-in appointments, but those function under a first come, first serve basis. 

Happy Writing! 

Trick or Treat!

Happy (almost) Halloween, folks! 

While planning your holiday festivities, don't forget to stop by the WKU Writing Center Costume Contest and Open House! On Friday, 10/31, at 1:00pm in Cherry 123, come and meet our tutors and see some amazing costumes! A prize will even be awarded for the best costume, as decided by our exceptional judging panel.

There will also be food provided, and all students, faculty, and staff are invited to participate in the costume contest!

We hope to see you all at our very own Monster Mash! (If you dare!)

Fall 2011 Undergraduate Conference on Literature, Language, and Culture

WKU Fall 2009 Conference

WKU's English Department is proud to announce the 2011 Fall Undergraduate Conference on Literature, Language, and Culture.  Come to Cherry Hall to see fellow undergraduate students presenting papers on superheros, Eula Biss, Nathaniel Hawthorne, ADD in narrative, and many more varied topics. 

The Conference begins at 1:30pm, November 18th, in room 125 in Cherry Hall.