[CBW_Exec] CBW Executive Board personal news

[Sarah Kirk]

Dear Fellow CBW Folk,

Hello from the "Far" North! I am sadly missing another 4Cs, but have let my Dean know that NO MATTER WHAT I must attend the next decade of conferences. In the meantime, I want to wish you all well and enjoy your annual dinner, too.

Here is my suggestion for a discussion at this year's board meeting: I see that the 4C's has set up a Virtual Conference (6 1-hour sessions) for those who can't make it to this year's conference. (BTW: I have signed up to experience this virtual conference.) I would like to propose that the CBW folk look into offering a similar virtual series of some BW sessions. Can we do this? Is the cost too high?

Here is personal news:

1. I am teaching the first ever grad course in BW in Alaska! (through our College of Ed, not English Dept....political reasons)
2. My husband (another BW faculty) and I edited the first book of International Circumpolar Poetry (titled Ice Floe: New and Selected Poems) through UAPress last September. We have a contract to produce 3 more books.
3. I am requesting a sabbatical for AY13 to study multimodal critical pedagogy and revisioning our BW program at the University of Alaska Anchorage. (I'm drumming up support. Feel free to recommend texts, courses, anything that I should do on this sabbatical to take me further along my Digital Immigrant status.) 
4. I completed another 25k classic ski half-marathon, slightly improving my time from last year!
5. I had my first full-night's sleep in 3 years last week during Spring Break (my daughter turned 3 in Jan. and is a LIGHT sleeper.)
6. I completed my 25th study on assessment--placement issues cut scores writing samples and everything els--today for our college. (Yikes!)
7. Last year, my husband and I purchased 15 acres with a small cabin (no electricity or running water) next to a small, quiet lake in central Alaska (less than 2 miles drive from Anchorage). Yes, you can drive to the cabin on a single track dirt road, but you need 4-wheel drive and the willingness to use an outhouse once there. The place is beautiful and allows for much peace and deep thoughts. If anyone wants to really experience life off the grid AND in the wilds, let us know! 

:)

Sarah Kirk, your long-not quite lost norther board member




-----Original Message-----
From: cbw_exec-bounces at tamu-commerce.edu on behalf of Shannon Carter
Sent: Wed 3/16/2011 11:36 AM
To: cbw_exec at tamu-commerce.edu
Subject: [CBW_Exec] CBW Executive Board Meeting (time + agenda)
 
Hello, CBW EB!

And so it appears while I was looking the other way CCCC landed on my doorstep. Looking forward to seeing everyone! 


My deepest apologies for being out of the loop. In "good news" I'll tell you more about why, but for now:


1. When shall we meet? Some of you were able to respond to Hannah's Doodle poll @   http://doodle.com/27fpqwnwiwnzg2dnhzhs6sei/admin#table

>From what we have thus far, it appears no time is going to work for everyone. Kelly Ritter has made arrangements to stay an extra day, which opens up several options Saturday afternoon. Please consider those options when filling in the Doodle poll. If I'm remembering correctly, many of our CBW EB members must leave by Friday, but let's get a better understanding of what's possible on that front. I may be able to stay through Saturday if need be, as well. 

Suggestion: After CBW meeting, if everyone isn't too fried. Could meet after/over dinner, perhaps in the same room. I know everyone won't be available, but we can do some good business online before and after. 

2. Attached are the minutes from the 2010 meeting. Please review. Send potential agenda items to me (and Hannah, with Liz). We will compile this week and send out agenda early next, along with meeting time and place once decided. At that time, we will also send finalized agenda for CCCC workshop (CBW Program) and SIG. 

3. Good news! Following the CBW EB tradition of beginning with good news since we last met (and following Hannah's great lead of requesting that info be shared online), I'm requesting that we share with one another some good news since Louisville. 

Been some exciting stuff happening for me since we last met. 
a. Personal stuff: Got married (!) and moved into our new home 
Professional stuff:
b. Susan and I published the 2009/2010 Double Issue of BWe. 
c. I published article in latest issue of Computers and Composition Online, with colleagues Adkins and Dunbar-Odom
d. Leave last fall to complete work on second book project, which also lead to completing our first documentary on the subject and several grants (still pending)
e. With Deborah Mutnick, I hosted (just last week!) a conference on our campus with theme Writing Democracy (http://writingdemocracy.weebly.com). We'll also be co-editing a special issue of Community Literacy Journal on the subject. Pumped about that. 
f. With Laurie Grobman, Jenn Fishman, and a cast of others, we just submitted a CCCC Task Force statement on Undergraduate Research. 
e. With Bump Halbritter, it seems we may publish a special issue of Kairos dedicated to digital scholarship by undergraduates. 
f. With a graduate student and help of local history librarian, I was able to install a Texas Historical Marker at the oldest African American church in Commerce, the first to commemorate a building in this historically segregated neighborhood. 
List goes on. I'll stop there. A good year, though a busy one. ;)

You? 
Shannon