Prof Talks 2

The second round of Prof Talks included Professor Chris Warnick of Writing Studies and Professor Emily Roscko of Poetry/Creative Writing. Warnick’s talk was interesting in that I was not previously aware that “writing studies” even existed. According to the professor, he studies writing itself, characteristics of it as well as processes, within all disciplines. He explained that his own personal interest lies within student writing itself – how students of different majors go about writing and approach agency as “writers,” how writing is taught, and what overall role it serves within a range of studies from Mathematics to English itself. His classes (as well as his own research) place a great deal of importance on rhetoric and methods of persuasion, also focusing on the changing definition of what it means to be “literate” in this century. Prof Warnick also spoke on writing technologies and how they are expanding in this generation, as well as how he has been able to utilize them in his own research. Next up was Professor Roscko, who opened he discussion by asking what we believed went into “good writing.” She used this list and conversation to explain the role of creative writing (CW) as a discipline as well as what it hopes to accomplish. She countered the common misconceived idea that “creative writing just happens,” and instead asserted that CW teaches intention by largely incorporating the values of logos, ethos and paths (writing to teach, gain trust, or make feel). She also advocated for the value of literature traditions within a sect of English studies that is often viewed as unbound and progressive, stressing the importance of knowing the roots of literature and poetry in order to be a strong writer. As a poetry concentrator within the English major at C of C, I found Prof Roscko’s talk particularly engaging, especially her activism for the more intentional and disciplined elements of writing (juxtaposed with the greatly “it just happens!” mentality I tend to have in my own writing).