CWCR/RCCR

Vol. 7 No. 2 (Spring, 2026) For this post, a member of the CWCR/RCCR Editorial Collective, Julia Lane, interviewed Gillian Saunders and Natalie Boldt. Gillian Saunders teaches in the Academic and Technical Writing Program and the Faculty of Education at UVic and works as an Advisor at the Academic Skills Centre (formerly the Centre for Academic Communication/Writing Centre. Gillian is also completing a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction at UVic, with a focus on undergraduate students’ academic discourse socialization experiences, in particular, their use of different forms of academic writing support. Natalie Boldt (she/her) is a former Academic Skills Advisor … Continue reading Avoid, Adopt, Adapt: An Interview with the Authors

Vol. 7 No. 1 Elisabeth van Stam is a Writing Advisor on the Graduate and Postdoctoral team and STEM Resource at the University of Waterloo’s Writing and Communication Centre (WCC). Trained as a professional biologist, she brings extensive experience conducting and communicating scientific research to her work supporting writers and colleagues at the WCC. Her pedagogical approach is student‑centered and genre‑aware, drawing on firsthand STEM writing experience to foreground global structure and meaning‑making while positioning students as experts in their disciplinary knowledge and communication goals. Although STEM students frequently engage in diverse writing and communication tasks throughout their degree, feedback … Continue reading Decoding the Lab Report: Building STEM Genre Awareness

This past July, the Waterloo Region Record reported massive layoffs at Conestoga College – over 1,800 faculty and administrators lost their jobs. One of the support units entirely wiped out? Writing Services. CBC confirmed that all writing consultants were eliminated, quoting the union president: “That role is gone.” In one swift move, Writing Services at Conestoga has disappeared. With no clear explanation for why Writing Services was targeted, those of us working in writing centres are left frustrated. The Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing doesn’t mince words: “the ability to write well is basic to student success in college … Continue reading Without the Writing Centre, What’s the Writing Plan?

Brian Hotson is a past-editor of CWCR/ACCR/RCCR. Terrence (Terry) Murphy was a creator and ardent supporter of writing centres and academic writing in Atlantic Canada. As Dean of Arts at Memorial University in Newfoundland (1993-2001), he advocated for the founding of its writing centre in 1984 and later the centre at Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, in 2005. Terry retired from Saint Mary’s University as Vice-President, Academic and Research (2001-2010). However, he continued to devote many hours to students by mentoring, advising, and supervising graduate work, well after his retirement, and appointment as a Professor Emeritus, in 2013. Terry’s academic field … Continue reading Memorial for Terry Murphy, PhD

Nia Pazoki (she/her) is a Ph.D. candidate in Educational Psychology at Simon Fraser University and one of the Writing Services Coordinators at the Student Learning Commons (SLC). Her work focuses on inclusive education, displaced and neurodivergent youth, and reflective pedagogies grounded in community care. At the SLC, she co-develops and facilitates writing programs for students and collaborates across campus to create thoughtful, equity-focused learning spaces. Nia believes in slow scholarship, story-sharing, and writing as a way of building belonging. At Simon Fraser University (SFU), the Student Learning Commons (SLC) is a hub for academic support, peer learning, and community-based programming. … Continue reading After the Fire: Reflections and Learning by Ripple Effect