In this moment of rapid political, institutional, and technological change, graduate writers face profound uncertainties. Shifts in funding options, research and publication processes, professional identities, and employment prospects accompany seemingly intractable and multiple global crises, including ongoing oppression and violence rooted social injustice, catastrophic diplomatic failures, impending climate disaster, unabashed militarization of law enforcement, and advancement of increasingly sophisticated surveillance technologies.
What does it mean to proclaim and reclaim your life, learning, identity, and humanity as a graduate writer and writing center tutor in these times?
The counterstories only you can tell matter now more than ever.
The Mid-Atlantic Writing Centers Association (MAWCA) invites graduate student tutors and administrators in writing centers to join the Baltimore Writing Center Project (BWCP), an interdisciplinary group of graduate writing tutors, for an online workshop facilitated by globally renowned counterstory scholar, Aja Martinez.
By participating in the workshop, you will …
Space is limited to 20 participants, so don't wait to join us for this one-of-a-kind professional development opportunity.
Format: Virtual on Zoom (Link sent after registration)
Date and Time: Wednesday, April 29, 6:00-8:00 PM
Required Preparation: In advance of the workshop, read selections from Dr. Martinez’s scholarly work and submit a rough sketch of your own counterstory by 5:00 PM on Wednesday, April 22 at this link.
Have questions about this event? Please contact James Wright at james.wright@umaryland.edu.
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Aja Y. Martinez (she/her) is an associate professor of Latina/Latino Studies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and author of the multi-award-winning book Counterstory: The Rhetoric and Writing of Critical Race Theory (now in its second edition).
Together, with Robert O. Smith, Martinez is the co-author of The Origins of Critical Race Theory: The People and Ideas That Created a Movement (NYU Press, 2025) and Harmony and Harassment: A New Critical Race Theory Story (UC Press, 2026). Described as the “Bonnie & Clyde of CRT,” Martinez and Smith have several more books forthcoming on CRT and other topics.
The MAWCA Summer Writing Retreat is an opportunity for directors and writing center professionals to focus on writing center projects in a retreat setting, to share meals with friends and fellow writers, and to get feedback from peers in the writing center community. Many of MAWCA's previous participants have successfully published their scholarship after Summer Retreats, and we're glad so many return.
At the Writing Retreat, we invite you to develop your scholarship, work on administrative tasks, redesign staff development, create new programs for your writing center, research topics related to WC programmatic or scholarly work, or focus your time in any way you see fit. Indeed, participants enjoy self-directed time, opting to enjoy working in communal spaces or choosing to turn off the wi-fi altogether.
The retreat takes place at Pendle Hill, a Quaker retreat center near Philadelphia, where MAWCA has held several retreats over the past decade.
This 3-day retreat is $425.00 per person. This includes accommodations in a private room for two nights, meals and snacks for three days, and access to the retreat center's work spaces.
Parking onsite is free, and transportation is available via rail. Please let us know if you need an acceptance letter that may be helpful in applying for travel funding from your university.
When you click through to apply, you will be requested to submit: name and contact information, dietary needs, and whether or not you'd like to be considered for a scholarship. You may also include a description of your project and what you intend to accomplish over the course of the retreat or description of the importance of your project to your own professional and scholarly development.
Space is limited. We look forward to hosting you!
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