On January 31, instructors from the UWP participated in the Second Annual National Advanced Writing Symposium hosted this year by the University of California-Santa Barbara. 

Presenting on a panel entitled, “Making Writing That Matters: Trends and Opportunities in Community-Engaged & Public Writing at Johns Hopkins University,” Jason Ludden, Nate Brown, Neşe Devenot, Arthur Russell, and Carly Schnitzler shared insights from their courses with a national audience. These colleagues covered a range of content, from assignments based around environmental studies, to local Baltimore-based community-engaged courses at the Station North Tool Library or with a local harm reduction nonprofit, to the how revision was emphasized in a co-taught course in creating The Commons, a literary arts magazine. Laura Hartmann-Villalta chaired the panel.

The UWP looks forward to hosting the third annual NAWS in 2026. Conference committee co-chairs Sandy Koullas and Laura Hartmann-Villalta have the ball rolling — please get in touch if you’re interested in being involved.