Where have we been? Where are we going?: A Conversation on Race and Writing in Higher Education - 1/29/2024
Conversation Overview
Join Kat Bell, AU Director of Writing Support, and John Dunham, Virtual Writing Center Director, for a conversation about race and student writing. Together, we’ll unpack the historic oppression present in academic writing contexts and talk about the movements towards linguistic diversity and inclusion in an evolving academic context.
This conversation was private to the Antioch community and was not recorded.
Guest Bios
Kat Bell, PhD (she/they), University Director of Writing Support, comes to Antioch with PhD in Rhetoric and Composition, with a focus on graduate education and Writing Center Studies. Most recently, she was a lecturer in the Analytical Writing Program at the University of California, San Diego, but has spent most of her post-graduate career in writing center and writing program administration. Prior to that, she taught public high school in both urban and rural environments. She is passionate about learning and teaching in antiracist pedagogies and truly enjoys collaborating on course design, discussing how to support students from all backgrounds, and doing institutional research to find strengths and opportunities for improving academic culture through increasing equity. As an editor and coach, she focuses on helping students find manageable processes and personal voices in their writing. To her joy and consternation, virtual meetings with Kat almost always feature a four-pawed, tuxedo-ed guest named Aleister.
John Dunham, MS (they/he), is the Director of the Virtual Writing Center. They have supported Antioch students through the VWC and the Antioch New England Writing Center for nearly a decade in various capacities, and really love helping people to better develop and communicate their ideas. They started writing in a family with an intense interest in language; attended Marlboro College and enjoyed the school’s rigorous writing standards; and is the current editor of The Northeastern Caver, a regional publication of the National Speleological Society (caves being their other great love). John's background in History, Writing, Linguistics, Asian Studies, Environmental Studies, and Social Justice Advocacy provides a broad knowledge base and appreciation for multiple kinds of writing, as well as a strong commitment to Antioch’s social justice mission. Their prior experience also included Wilderness Therapy with at-risk youth in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, which provided invaluable tutoring, coaching, and leadership skills. John is privileged to be able to contribute to student learning and student success at Antioch, and even more so to work with the amazing people listed on this page. If you have questions, comments, suggestions, or ideas about how the VWC can be better, John is always eager to hear them!
