Category: Difficult Conversations

by Melissa Thomas When I came to the Writing Center during my first semester at IUPUI, I did not consider myself to be a leader, or even a strong communicator. I just knew that I loved writing, and I loved the community that the UWC had built. So, I was fairly surprised to find myself …

**Content warning: This article contains references to discrimination, stigmatization, microaggressions, and other forms of violence against people on the basis of race, disability, and other social statuses.** Words Matter: Why I Embrace Anti-Ableist Language: by Catkin O’Grady Ableist language–we see it, hear it, and sometimes even use it ourselves, often without realizing that we’re doing …

By: Ethan M. Our fantastic consultant Ethan explains our on-going series, Difficult Conversations, and why exactly we should all learn to become more comfortable with being uncomfortable. If you’ve been checking up on the University Writing Center social media recently, you’ve undoubtedly seen the gorgeous flyers with quotes from April Baker-Bell’s book Linguistic Justice, urging you …

Written by: Lindsey T. Google defines irony as “the expression of one’s meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.” This is the perfect term to sum up my situation as a writer. When I was young, I was diagnosed with a common mental disability you may have …

Written by: Jasmine Simpson Reading and writing are considered to be some of the greatest assets that any human being can have. In the black community we consider this to be one of the greatest forms of expression, from writing poetry about our hair and nails, to writing songs exposing the dangers of being a …

Written by: Catkin O. October 16, 2019 is International Pronouns Day, and the University Writing Center will be celebrating by giving out pronoun tags for people to wear across campus. You may be wondering why the world needs a day for pronouns. Here is the perspective of a non-binary person who works as one of …

Nathan M. Our wonderful consultant, Nathan, has been kind enough to write a post concerning trans identities in Writing Centers, the self-discovery that is possible within queer spaces, along with the struggle to claim one’s identity in those same spaces that are increasingly closed off. His account of his own experience perfectly relates to our …