In 2009, the Celebration of Student Writing was an inaugural event in which over 600 English 101 students showcased to the UNM community art installations inspired by their English coursework. The event was a huge success, and this year the Celebration of Student Writing is open to English 101 and 102 sections–with nearly 750 students participating!
You can see the video of our pilot 2009 CSW here.
But why celebrate student writing?
It is our belief, as instructors of first-year writing, and members of the Writing Across Communities movement, that in order to truly learn to write (and to be productive academics, professionals, and citizens) students need productive public spaces where they in fact matter. While many resources are directed toward upper-class and graduate students, the Celebration sends a message to first-year and beginning students that their voices, ideas, and presence will be valued throughout their time at UNM. In addition, the Celebration provides a kind of embodied civic literacy shared within a community. It is a move toward creating healthy public spaces in which conversation, debate, and learning is encouraged, and it helps to level the field of contact between students, teachers, and administrators. It demonstrates a willingness on the part of the people “in charge” to listen to and engage with the students who are often the most marginalized.
This blog serves as a resource for instructors and students alike who are either participating in the Celebration of Student Writing or who are interested in knowing more about the Celebration. There are pictures from the 2009 event, handouts on how to incorporate the CSW into the classroom (from sequence design to extra credit assignments), and links to CSWs across the nation.
We invite you to peruse our blog, get ideas, share ideas — and celebrate student writing!
If you would like to know more, please email us at unm.csw@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you!
Many thanks to Linda Adler-Kassner for inspiring us to bring the CSW to our campus. Additionally, we heartily thank our 2010 sponsors and partners, the Dean of Students’ Office, CAPS (Center for Academic Program Support), Writing Across Communities/Curriculum (WAC), and the English department.
