<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>Personal/Professional updates</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<FONT FACE="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:11pt'>Thanks for pulling the agenda together, Hannah, and for getting the ball rolling on updates/accomplishments. Such a great tradition! <BR>
<BR>
Here’s me since the last update:<BR>
<BR>
Big news for us is Tabetha Adkins. I hope Tabetha will update you guys on her accomplishments since she’s on this list, deeply involved with BWe, and (we hope) soon on the Executive Board. Tabetha joined us last July to direct our Basic Writing Program and Writing Center and is a key player in our Converging Literacies Center (CLiC). Yay! The grad students love her, as do her new colleagues. We expected as much. ;) Several of you met her at the CBW SIG. <BR>
<BR>
Also big news is that the Converging Literacies Center was granted three Graduate Research Assistantships, which we filled with the likes of JP Sloop (to focus on BWe/CBW, but also community outreach and other matters of “convergence”). The other positions are about the National Conversation on Writing, our Special Collections, and relevant studies in local literacies. Much, much good work is going on in each of these areas The GARs selected for this are some of our absolute best PhD students, all doing meaningful work at multiple levels. Of course, I’m not at all biased. :) Fingers crossed that funding continues into the next academic year. <BR>
<BR>
Other news, both professional and personal.<BR>
</SPAN></FONT><OL><LI><FONT FACE="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:11pt'> In August, Kairos published an article Donna and I wrote about the Converging Literacies Center. (Fall 2009 issue)
</SPAN></FONT><LI><FONT FACE="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:11pt'>With Bump Halbritter (current editor of CCC Online), I am serving a Guest Editor for a Special Issue of Kairos dedicated to undergraduate research in writing and rhetoric (digital scholarship). Submissions were plentiful and of very high quality, and we are excited about the lineup we were able to invite. We’ll work with authors quite closely throughout the process. Special Issue to appear Summer 2011.
</SPAN></FONT><LI><FONT FACE="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:11pt'>Last September, my CCC article finally came out (“The Writing Center Paradox: Talk about Legitimacy and the Problem with Institutional Change”)
</SPAN></FONT><LI><FONT FACE="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:11pt'>In July, the National Conversation on Writing rolled out its public interface during the WPA conference in Minneapolis. As a reminder: NCoW was established by the Council of Writing Program Administrators-Network for Media Action in 2006. Texas A&M-Commerce became the institutional home for NCoW in 2008. Since that time, the collection has grown considerably. Our second campaign will be available soon, focusing this time on the various ways programs celebrated the National Day on Writing.
</SPAN></FONT><LI><FONT FACE="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:11pt'>Our own local celebration of the National Day on Writing was a smash, involving writers at multiple levels from multiple disciplines and in the community and covering an ENTIRE week (see <a href="http://galleryofwriting.org/writing/1089923">http://galleryofwriting.org/writing/1089923</a> for NDoW submission, including schedule of events).
</SPAN></FONT><LI><FONT FACE="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:11pt'>Submitted a grant application for the National Science Foundation. Who knew? Of course we could lose, lose, lose. But an NSF was never something I thought <B>I’d</B> be involved in, even via the application phase. Feeling good about that accomplishment, where ever it may take us. <BR>
</SPAN></FONT></OL><FONT FACE="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:11pt'><BR>
Most consuming for me (and exciting!) has been a local literacies project I found myself involved with. For the past several months, I’ve been working with our Director of Special Collections to collect oral histories and other artifacts from the local African American community. I got involved because of NCoW and because these local histories matter to the National Conversation on Writing. I got involved because I want our students involved, and because we are committed to getting researchers working with primary source materials (from the first year to the PhD). I got involved because the HeirLoom Project he leads is WAY cool, funded via a state grant for which he serves as Co-PI. ( <a href="http://heirloomprojecttamuc.blogspot.com/">http://heirloomprojecttamuc.blogspot.com/</a>)<BR>
<BR>
The big, unexpected bonus: I found my next book project! Yahoo! A big thanks to folks like Kelly Ritter who helped me get to that project with probing, smart questions. I’m still in the earliest of stages (fieldwork and reading, reading, reading), but I have put in for a sabbatical so I hope to meet the CBW 2011 Call for Good News with draft of that sucker in hand or, better yet, under review somewhere. <BR>
<BR>
So that stuff, plus Stephen and I are trying to sell his house (and later mine) so we can finally buy one together and get married, already. <BR>
<BR>
The sad news: As I believe you know, I lost my dear grandmother about the time our CCCC 2010 proposal came due. It’s been almost a year and I miss her terribly. But you know what they say about the healing powers of time and a life-long relationship without regrets. Her memory continues to bring me a great deal of comfort. She lived every inch of her life, and I was able to spend my all of my first 38 years alongside that incredible woman (if not near her physically, always in contact by phone and certainly via frequent visits). She was 88 when she passed. At her insistence, we hired an Elvis impersonator for her (last) birthday and invited nearly 100 of her closest friends and family members. The vast majority came and from around the country. Here’s a clip of a 5’2’’ Mexican-American Elvis singing “Happy Birthday” to her in her living room in Corpus Christi, the same home where she raised her seven children and hosted countless parties for friends and grandchildren and great grandchildren. <BR>
<BR>
<a href="http://grace-carter.blogspot.com/">http://grace-carter.blogspot.com/</a><BR>
<BR>
She’s wearing zebra and hot pink. This isn’t a costume. That’s just Grace. ;)<BR>
<BR>
Sorry to get so sappy. Just feeling the need to share. <BR>
<BR>
Yours, <BR>
Shannon<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
On 2/10/10 3:08 PM, "Ashley, Hannah" <<a href="HAshley@wcupa.edu">HAshley@wcupa.edu</a>> wrote:<BR>
<BR>
</SPAN></FONT><BLOCKQUOTE><SPAN STYLE='font-size:11pt'><FONT FACE="Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial">Happy Snow Day (for those of us on the East Coast)--<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"> <BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial">I have attached the <U>agenda</U> for our meeting for Thursday afternoon at CCCC. Please review for maximum efficiency (you all know how I like efficiency). This should include reading BWe when it is ready to roll, as our first discussion point is about the Social Justice Policy Statement.<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"> <BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial">We did a nice job last year of providing personal and professional updates over e-mail, and I would encourage anyone who wants to do that this year to do so as well. I'll start:<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"> <BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial">My program, Writing Zones, is going well. I have fantastic core mentors with whom I presented at NCTE. The field placement mentors are getting more consistent hands-on experience, prior to student teaching, with a diverse range of students. We are in a really interesting district, where the mentors get to work with a huge range of students, from youth who have just immigrated from Mexico themselves, to kids from quite privileged families (educationally, liguistically and economically). I am presenting about the program at IWCA and at a conference in Costa Rica! Of course, there is still no real money to support it, but I am ever hopeful. My personal life, as they say on fb (Facebook): "It's complicated." But my kids are in kindergarten and first grade and, when not incredibly difficult, incredibly cute and brilliant (of course, I am not biased).<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"> <BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial">Hannah<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"> <BR>
</FONT><FONT COLOR="#CC99FF"><FONT FACE="Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial">Hannah Ashley, Ph.D.<BR>
Associate Professor of English, Composition & Rhetoric<BR>
Director, Writing Zones 12.5 ( <<a href="http://www.writingzones/">http://www.writingzones/</a>> </FONT></FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial">www.writingzones <<a href="http://www.writingzones.net/">http://www.writingzones.net/</a>> <FONT COLOR="#CC99FF">.net) <BR>
551 Main Hall, West Chester University<BR>
West Chester, PA 19383<BR>
610-738-0499<BR>
</FONT></FONT></SPAN><FONT SIZE="4"><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:14pt'> <BR>
</SPAN></FONT></FONT><FONT COLOR="#CC99FF"><FONT FACE="Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:11pt'><BR>
</SPAN></FONT><SPAN STYLE='font-size:11pt'><FONT FACE="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><I>"It is mildly unnerving to reflect that the whole of meaningful human history--the development of farming, the creation of towns, the rise of mathematics and writing and science and all the rest--has taken place within an atypical patch of fair weather." --Bill Bryson, <U>A Short History of Nearly Everything<BR>
</U></I></FONT></SPAN></FONT><SPAN STYLE='font-size:11pt'><FONT FACE="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><BR>
<HR ALIGN=CENTER SIZE="3" WIDTH="100%"></FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><B>From:</B> <a href="cbw_exec-bounces@tamu-commerce.edu">cbw_exec-bounces@tamu-commerce.edu</a> [<a href="cbw_exec-bounces@tamu-commerce.edu">cbw_exec-bounces@tamu-commerce.edu</a>] On Behalf Of Shannon Carter [<a href="Shannon_Carter@tamu-commerce.edu">Shannon_Carter@tamu-commerce.edu</a>]<BR>
<B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, February 09, 2010 7:03 PM<BR>
<B>To:</B> Conference of Basic Writing Executive Board<BR>
<B>Subject:</B> [CBW_Exec] BWe update and request<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><BR>
Hi, all--<BR>
<BR>
Thanks for your hard work in reviewing and reviewing again the various submission to BWe. We had more submissions than I’ve seen in my handful of years with BWe, and they covered an exciting range. <BR>
<BR>
JP, Susan, and I will provide a Table of Contents within the week. Stay tuned. <BR>
<BR>
The excellent news: BWe 2009 is on track for publication before CCCC. <BR>
<BR>
Status as of 2/8/10: Six rich and interesting articles and book reviews have gone through two full rounds of review/revision/review and have been accepted for publication. Two additional articles are currently being revised in response to reader feedback and will likely appear in the next issue of BWe as well. <BR>
<BR>
Here’s a very rough outline:<BR>
</FONT></SPAN><OL><LI><SPAN STYLE='font-size:11pt'><FONT FACE="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial">Editor’s introduction (Susan and I are working on that)
</FONT></SPAN><LI><SPAN STYLE='font-size:11pt'><FONT FACE="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial">Articles (nice range of topics, approaches, genres, and modalities)
</FONT></SPAN><LI><SPAN STYLE='font-size:11pt'><FONT FACE="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial">Social Justice Policy (two articles responding to Susan’s 2009 article proposing CBW adopt a Social Justice Policy)
</FONT></SPAN><LI><SPAN STYLE='font-size:11pt'><FONT FACE="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial">Book Reviews (two, I think)
</FONT></SPAN><LI><SPAN STYLE='font-size:11pt'><FONT FACE="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial">Awards (article from CBW Award winner Dawn Terrick; we’d love to make this a regular part of each BWe issue [see below])
</FONT></SPAN><LI><SPAN STYLE='font-size:11pt'><FONT FACE="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial">Linkages (Peter Adams)<BR>
</FONT></SPAN></OL><SPAN STYLE='font-size:11pt'><FONT FACE="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><BR>
<BR>
<B><I>Request</I></B><I>: </I>We’d like to include introductions to each of our ongoing features, especially since each of these features are brand new to BWe. As you may recall--at our last meeting, we reorganized BWe to include Associate Editors of several new sections. For the most part, the articles accepted shake out along the lines drawn last March. <BR>
<BR>
<a href="http://orgs.tamu-commerce.edu/cbw/cbw/BWE_-Co_Editors_and_Associate_Directors.html">http://orgs.tamu-commerce.edu/cbw/cbw/BWE_-Co_Editors_and_Associate_Directors.html</a><BR>
<BR>
To that end: Can the associate editors provide introductions for each of the sections proposed? By 2/24/10? It needn’t be more than 250 words. Shorter or longer works too. Up to you. <BR>
<BR>
Book Reviews: Sonya and Kathleen <BR>
Linkages: Peter Adams <BR>
Awards: Gregg and his team [?]<BR>
[We’d like to propose a new section in which award winners describe their programs in award-winning terms. Perhaps this will help yield more winning years? Certainly help honor previous award-winners. Gregg: I’ll be contacting you about this in the next day, especially in terms of a current article]<BR>
<BR>
Goals for each introduction? Up to you, of course. Maybe to get potential authors interested in submitting to future issues or current readers excited about reading the items published in this particular section of the current issue or perhaps something on what makes this feature important. Whatever you think!<BR>
<BR>
Signing off for now. <BR>
<BR>
Yours, <BR>
Shannon (and Susan)<BR>
</FONT></SPAN></BLOCKQUOTE><SPAN STYLE='font-size:11pt'><FONT FACE="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><BR>
-- <BR>
Shannon Carter, PhD<BR>
Associate Professor of English<BR>
Director, Writing Programs<BR>
Department of Literature and Languages<BR>
Texas A&M University-Commerce<BR>
Commerce, Texas 75429-3011<BR>
<a href="Shannon_Carter@tamu-commerce.edu">Shannon_Carter@tamu-commerce.edu</a><BR>
<a href="http://www.shannoncarter.info">http://www.shannoncarter.info</a><BR>
</FONT></SPAN>
</BODY>
</HTML>