Proposal Process:

You’ll be asked to submit:

• 100-word abstract - to appear in the conference program 
• 300-word description - to help with the review process of your proposal.
• 100 words (or so) rationale for the format they selected (e.g., why this format suits your proposal topic). 

You'll be asked to mark one of the following session types when you submit your proposal:

• Individual Presentation

• Panel

• Roundtable

• Special Interest Group (SIG)

• Work-in-Progress
• Workshop

You’ll be asked to mark at least one of the following categories when you submit your proposal: 

• Administration
• Assessment 
• Collaboration(s)
• DEI/Social Justice
• ESOL/Multilingual tutoring
• Methods
• Theory
• Tutor Education/Training
• Tutoring Graduate Students
• Tutoring Undergraduate Students
• WAC/WID
• Writing Fellows/Embedded tutoring

Here are some possible starting points for proposals:

Physical Spaces

• How do physical locations of writing center spaces impact the work they do? (ex. Proximity to other departments, programs, services? Proximity to other writing centers? Pedagogical benefits or limitations?)
• How do accessibility concerns play a role in considerations of space?
• What opportunities and challenges arise when writing centers move from peripheral campus locations to more central ones (or vice versa)?
• What significance do design and decoration play in writing center functions (or not)?
• How do writing center spaces reflect or challenge the contingent status of their workers?
• Who owns the writing center space? (The director? The students? The tutors? Someone else? No one?) 
• What role do tutors play in shaping the physical environment of writing centers? How can they make the space inviting for the students they work with?
• How do writing center space needs and design priorities vary across different institutional contexts (research universities, community colleges, liberal arts institutions, HSIs, HBCUs, tribal colleges, secondary schools, international settings), and what can we learn from these differences?

Virtual/Hybrid Spaces

• What are the ramifications of online/spaceless sessions? How do different modalities impact accessibility?

• How might time zones, internet access, and digital divides impact virtual writing center spaces across borders?

• What impact does generative AI have on writing center work, particularly as it pertains to space?
• How does the labor of writing center work transform when tutors must navigate and maintain multiple spatial contexts simultaneously?
• What are intangible elements of writing center space?
• What possibilities exist for global writing center collaborations that transcend physical spaces?
• What productive tensions emerge when we consider writing centers as sites that exist in both "place" and "non-place"?
• What have been some of the positive and negative experiences of a hybrid (virtual and in-person) writing center space for the peer tutors?

Institutional Positioning

• What new or existing partnerships across campus might help writing centers reimagine their spatial and conceptual boundaries?

• How does a writing center's administrative home (academic affairs, student services, specific departments) influence its spatial identity?

• How do writing center spaces reinforce or challenge institutional hierarchies?

The Future of Writing Centers and Space

• What does it mean for a writing center to be "centerless," and what opportunities might this create?

• What advantages might exist in embracing spatial liminality rather than seeking more conventional institutional spaces?

• How are writing centers reimagining spatial needs amid budget cuts and austerity measures?

• What role might peer tutors play in designing next-generation writing center environments?

• How might writing center workers collectively shape their workspaces despite institutional constraints?

• How might global perspectives on space and place inform new directions for writing center work across diverse institutional contexts?

• What theoretical frames and metaphors can we expand upon, reimagine, or invent to better understand the spaces and non-spaces of writing center work?