Precarity, Pluckiness and “Please Help!”: Negotiating Uncertainty in Writing Centre Work
Call for Proposals – Deadline Extended to February 28, 2025
CWCA/ACCR 2025 Virtual Conference
June 16-18, 2025
Access a PDF version of this Call for Proposals
“The CWCA/ACCR community is rich with experience, diverse perspectives, and, perhaps, pluckiness, but it is worth acknowledging that it is threatened by the very precarity experienced by its individual members.” ~ Dr. Stevie Bell
“All progress is precarious.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Canadian Writing Centres Association/L’Association canadienne des centres de rédaction welcomes proposals for our 2025 conference related to any aspect of writing centre study and practice, with particular interest in proposals that explore the multifaceted nature of precarity and agency in writing centres.
During last year’s conference, the panel on “Precarious Presence and Fruitful Futures in Writing Studies” opened a discussion on the ways writing centre professionals experience precarity in our work. The discussion also included themes of how we might advocate for ourselves on an individual, institutional, and national level. Since this conversation, many experiences of precarity in our CWCA/ACCR community have escalated in unsettling ways. Some of us may be feeling resourceful and plucky. Others may be feeling decidedly not. Writing centres, situated at the intersections and margins of institutional structures, have long had to negotiate the tension between precarity, agency, and burnout.
Questions and considerations for this year’s conference include the following: In what ways are writing centres experiencing progress that is precarious, and, in what ways does writing centre precarity challenge or inhibit progress? In the face of precarity, how do writing centre professionals secure progress for our writing centres? In the face of precarity, how do writing centre professionals guard against burnout? In what ways are precarity and agency invisible or unacknowledged in writing centre work? How have writing centres historically navigated precarious times? How might we incorporate healthy boundaries into our common writing centre life to avoid burnout? How do we exercise agency in the face of uncertainty?
Other possible connections to the theme include but are not limited to:
- Employment instability among writing centre staff and tutors
- The impact of precarious conditions on teaching and writing practices
- Financial and resource constraints
- The impact of precarious conditions on equity-deserving writers and professional staff
- The forms of precariousness that new technologies may create/reinforce and the types of resourcefulness that new technologies may afford
- Navigating institutional changes and policy shifts
- Strategies for fostering resourcefulness and agency
- Strategies for avoiding and/or healing from burnout
We welcome proposals that address these and other related topics through diverse perspectives and methodologies. Submissions may include, but are not limited to:
- Research Panel Presentations: Report on a study—quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, action research, reflective—or an evidence-based pedagogical practice. Presentations will be grouped into panels of two or three presenters. Presenters are also welcome to propose their own panel of grouped presentations.
- Roundtable Discussions: Roundtable sessions are ideal for works-in-progress, pedagogical innovations, or taking up an issue of current debate in our field. Roundtable facilitators lead a 30-minute discussion that encourages active participation and contribution from attendees. Proposals should indicate the topic of your discussion, why it would be of interest to writing centre colleagues, and how you plan to engage and facilitate an active and dynamic discussion. *Please note: to ensure anonymity for precarious writing centre workers, certain roundtable sessions covering sensitive topics and discussion will not be recorded.
- Interactive Workshops: Workshops are an opportunity to model an innovative practice, strategy or innovation for your colleagues through collaborative hands-on activities. Proposals should clearly describe the practice you intend to feature, the overall structure of the session and how you will actively engage the audience.
- Writing Centre Research and Pedagogy Blog Post: This format offers the opportunity to showcase writing centre practices and research. Have an exciting new program you are proud of? Clever new handouts or resources? A virtual poster detailing a research project? A video walkthrough of your centre? Proposals should clearly describe what you intend to publish on the CWCA Blog and the virtual materials you will include (poster, audio, and/or video). *Please note: to protect precarious writing centre workers, blog posts covering sensitive topics can be published anonymously.
Submission Guidelines:
- Abstract: Please submit an abstract of no more than 300 words outlining your proposed presentation.
- Format: Indicate the preferred format of your presentation (e.g., paper, workshop, panel).
- Deadline: All submissions must be received by February 28, 2025.
- Notification: Authors will be notified of acceptance at the end of April.
Submission Process:
Please submit your proposals via this FORM. For any inquiries, contact chtaylor@wlu.ca.
We look forward to your proposals.
Writing Mercies,
Christin Wright-Taylor, M.F.A., Ph.D.
Vice President, Canadian Writing Centres Association/Association canadienne des centres de rédaction
Manager, Writing Services
Wilfrid Laurier University
Assistant Conference Chair:
We are excited to announce Maria C. O’Connor as this year’s Assistant Conference Chair.
Hi everyone! My name is Maria C. O’Connor and I am the Assistant Chair of the 2025 CWCA/ACCR conference. I am a journalist, researcher, and instructor specializing in communication, technology, and digital media. Currently, I am pursuing a Master of Arts in Communication and Technology at the University of Alberta, where I also work as a Graduate Teaching and Research Assistant. My academic interests focus on the impact of Generative Artificial Intelligence on writing practices, both in academic and professional contexts.
Prior to my graduate studies, I worked as an instructor and Head of the Hypermedia Communication, Technology, and Society Discipline at the University of Havana, where I integrated AI tools into journalism education. I am passionate about exploring how emerging technologies shape media, communication, and education, and I actively contribute to research and public discussions on these topics.