The St. John’s University First Year
Writing Program
proudly presents
The Spring 2011 Coming to Writing Conference
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
I sensed that there was a beyond, to which I did not have
access, an unlimited place […] A desire was seeking its home.
I was that desire. I was the question. The question
with this strange destiny: to seek, to pursue the answers that will
appease it…
—Hélène Cixous in “Coming
to Writing”
The First Year Writing Program warmly invites you to come
celebrate the exciting work that the writers in our English 1000C
classes have done this semester. Please join us for a day of
readings, performances, food, and conversation as we end our
semester with our semi-annual Coming to Writing Conference.
In a series of panels curated by professors in the department, our
students will be presenting their work in diverse genres including
memoir, essay, blog post, research project, video, book, and
poetry. We welcome you to join us in this opportunity to
recognize and honor their texts and voices as we promote a culture
of writing on campus.
Conference Schedule
10:00 a.m.
“First Year Writing Film Festival”
Moderated by Bill Torgerson
Institute for Writing Studies
Conference Room
All the writers on this panel were challenged with the following
question: What do you want to investigate? Their
answers have come in the form of blog posts, a hybrid research
paper that combines scholarly sources and personal experience, and
a documentary film. Topics range from the disappearance of
languages to genetically modified food.
11:00 a.m.
Writing for a Change
Moderated by Nicole Papaioannou
Institute for Writing Studies
Conference Room
The college Composition classroom is the perfect place for ENG1000C
students to start thinking about how they want to shape the future.
Writing is often the catalyst for social change, and ENG1000c
students will be the leaders who must implement these changes in
the near future. In this panel, students share writing that
expresses the improvements that they believe will create a better
world, including projects that create awareness and ones that
advocates specific policies.
Who Really Pays for our Clothes?
Moderated by Octavia Davis
Institute for Writing Studies
Back Lounge
First-year writing students investigate the garment industry one
hundred years after the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire.
12:00 p.m.
First Year Writing and Beyond: Former FYW Students Reflect
on Their Experiences
Moderated by Tara Roeder
Institute for Writing Studies
Conference Room
Former writing students return to discuss their experiences in
the course, reflect on the relationship between English 1000C and
their other courses, and answer questions from faculty.
The Ideas Exchange: Mind, Freedom, Politics and Other Ideas
that Matter
Moderated by Kristin Prevallet (Composition) and
Zachary Davis (Philosophy)
Institute for Writing Studies
Back Lounge
The Ideas Exchange will bring together students from Philosophy
1000C and Composition 1000C to share writing and research into the
urgencies of our time.
1:00 p.m.
Writing Across Genre and Results through Research
Moderated by April Sikorski & Tara
Roeder
Institute for Writing Studies
Conference Room
We believe that the college writing classroom is a place of
excitement and exploration where students can ask questions and
experiment with form. In this panel, our students come
together to explore their writing across multiple genres, sharing
creative writing projects and presenting the results of their
research.
Investigating the Issues that Impact Us
Moderated by Sean Murray
Institute for Writing Studies
Back Lounge
Before retiring from the New York Times, opinion columnist Bob
Herbert recently lamented that today's college students "are
hitting the books less and partying more." Consequently, he
concludes that people are graduating without "effective
problem-solving" and "reasoning skills." Our panelists embody
a more optimistic trend: students who are thinking critically and
writing passionately to address the problems impacting their
world.
2:00 p.m.
The Book Project: Process and Product
Moderated by Roseanne Gatto
Institute for Writing Studies
Conference Room
Roseanne’s students choose their own sustained project topic
each semester and craft and self-publish individual books. In
this panel, students explore their topics, process, and finished
manuscripts.
Open Mic
Moderated by Sharon Marshall
Institute for Writing Studies
Back Lounge
All writing students, current and former, are invited to share
their work—in any genre—in an informal environment.