The Centre (Still) Holds: Writing Centre Work in Changing and Unchanging Times
Call for Proposals
June 16-18, 2026
Virtual Conference, Zoom Events
Access a PDF version of this Call for Proposals
The Canadian Writing Centres Association/L’Association canadienne des centres de rédaction (CWCA/ACCR) welcomes proposals for our 2026 conference related to any aspect of writing centre study and practice, with particular interest in strategies, resources, and theories to address the challenges of this moment in writing centre history.
In a time of rapid change and persistent uncertainty in higher education, it may feel that Yeats’s words are barrelling up from the page to coin this moment: “mere anarchy is loosed upon the world” of higher education. And yet, writing centres across Canada remain steadfast in their mission to support “the development of writers and writing” (CWCA/ACCR Position Statement on Writing Centres in Canada, 2021). This year’s conference theme, “The Centre (Still) Holds: Writing Centre Work in Changing and Unchanging Times,” invites us to reflect on the enduring relevance of writing centre work and the ways in which our foundational values equip us to meet today’s challenges.
In the ever “widening gyre” of writing centre history, some challenges are new, while others remain the same. Still some challenges may seem new, but are redolent of the same old challenges, only with new faces. In all cases, writing centre scholars and practitioners have been championing strategies, frameworks, and theoretical approaches that not only advocate for the relevance of our work but propel our field forward (Pare 2017; Glitrow 2016; Clary Lemon 2009; Graves & Graves 2006). In what ways might the wisdom from our founding scholars and practitioners guide us today?
In addition, CWCA/ACCR firmly believes that writing centre work holds the insights and tools necessary to help students be critical thinkers and effective communicators in an ever changing world. In 2015, Deborah Brandt predicted the rise of mass writing as the defining feature of new literacy trends. She wrote, “For the first time in history, masses of humans have keyboards under their hands” and writing is increasingly, “the product that is bought and sold, [the embodiment of] knowledge, information, invention, service, social relations, news, … the products of the new economy,” (p. 159; p. 16). In this new reality, the writing centre’s commitment to teaching critical thinking, writing, and communication holds the keys to growth and mastery that this generation needs for the future. To that end, Hotson (2021) writes that contrary to disappearing, “writing centres will [only] continue to grow in importance” in Canadian higher education because writing centres are the primary site for writing pedagogy in Canada (para. 1). Indeed, both the history and current moment of writing centre work, combined with our foundational values and practices, are more relevant than ever.
CWCA/ACCR encourages writing centre professionals and administrators to look backward in order to go forward, to look inward in order to reach out. We welcome proposals that explore how writing centres are responding to current educational pressures while staying rooted in long-standing principles of critical thinking, collaboration, care, writer agency, social justice, accessibility, and social practice. Whether through innovative programming, critical reflection, or research-informed practice, writing centres continue to serve as resilient spaces for intellectual growth and transformation. Indeed, the centre holds (in spite of the anarchy loosed by precarity and technological advancements) and perhaps even emerges with renewed relevance and value.
Questions and considerations for this year’s conference include: What is writing now and what does it look like in the future? What research, strategies, and practices have endured the test of time and can provide a way forward? What do we already know that can help us meet the challenges in our institutions at this moment? What new insights are our colleagues offering from ongoing research and practice? And what knowledge and resources are we creating in our writing centres that could be of help and service to colleagues at other institutions?
We invite submissions in the following formats:
- Individual Presentations (20 minutes)
- Panel Discussions (60 minutes)
- Workshops (60–90 minutes)
- Blog Post Submissions for CWCA/ACCR
- Roundtables or Dialogues
Topics may include, but are not limited to:
- Foundational values in contemporary practice
- Writing centres as sites of resilience
- Enduring pedagogies and practices to address teaching writing in an era of GenAI
- New literacies and emerging communication challenges
- Inclusive practices for diverse student populations
- Research-informed innovations in writing centre practice
- Student agency and writer identity in changing times
- Strategies and practices for caring for others and ourselves in times of precarity and austerity
Submission Guidelines: Please submit a 250–300 word abstract that clearly outlines your topic, format, and relevance to the conference theme. Include the names, affiliations, and contact information of all presenters.
Deadline for submissions: Friday, January 16, 2026
Submit proposals through the Proposal Form. For any inquiries, please contact cwcaconference@gmail.com.
We look forward to gathering with colleagues to celebrate the enduring power and value of writing centre work and to imagine together how we continue to thrive in this moment—and the next.
The CWCA/ACCR Conference Committee
Christin Wright-Taylor, Gillian Saunders, Megan Gregorchuk, Maverick Smith, Nick Schroeder, Sakib Shahriar
References
Brandt, D. (2014). The Rise of Writing: Redefining Mass Literacy (1st ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9781316106372
Clary-Lemon, J. (2009). Shifting Tradition: Writing Research in Canada. American Review of Canadian Studies, 39(2), 94–111.
CWCA/ACCR Position Statement on Writing Centres in Canada. (2021, May). Canadian Writing Centre Association/ association canadienne des centres de redaction. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IfhPvcR8lv9_k4pKJkDf4psCrWV_YjMg/view?pli=1
Giltrow, J. (2016). Writing at the Centre: A Sketch of the Canadian History. Canadian Journal for Studies in Discourse and Writing/Redactologie, 26, 11–24.
Graves, R., & Graves, H. (Eds.). (2006). Writing Centres, Writing Seminars, Writing Culture: Writing Instruction in Anglo-Canadian Universities. Inkshed Publications.
Hotson, B. (2021, September 27). A Short History of CWCA/ACCR: Fifteen Years On [Education]. CWCA/ACCR. https://cwcaaccr.com/2021/09/27/a-short-history-of-cwca-accr/
Pare, A. (2017). The once and future Writing Centre: A Reflection and Critique. Canadian Journal for Studies in Discourse and Writing/Redactologie, 27, 1–8.