History of the Summit

Conference Beginnings

The Summit was conceived in 2014 by a group of area writing instructors wishing to meet their colleagues at various educational levels and across states in the Northland. Its purpose is to bring together teachers of writing and literacy to exchange ideas, best practices, common challenges, and innovations in the teaching of writing, whether academic, creative, professional, or otherwise.

The Summit values experimentation in our small-group sessions as acts of discovery in teaching and learning. Thoughtful, intelligent sharing in question-and-answer sessions with very active audience participation is the cornerstone of this event.

In early years, conference fees ranged from $8-15 per attendee. However, since 2015, the conference has been free to attend based on generous donations from area colleges and universities.

Past Conferences

2021

Hosted by the University of Wisconsin Superior, the Summit focused on “Essential Innovations” demanded by the limitations imposed by COVID-19, and considered the three themes of "Teaching with Technology," "Lessons Learned from the Difficult Times," and "Language & Culture."

2020

Hosted by the University of Minnesota-Duluth, this Summit addressed awareness and visibility in the classroom, diverse narratives and perspectives, and challenging conversations related to the teaching of writing and English as a Second Language, with the theme “Absence to Presence: Nurturing Awareness & Visibility in Our Teaching Spaces.”

2019

Hosted by Lake Superior College, this Summit examined the importance of writing for engaging students in a polarized nation at a time of particularly troublesome social and political discord.

2018

Hosted by Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College, this Summit explored the role of writing in the lives of both teachers and students inside and outside the academic contexts, and how these related, contrasted, and informed each other.

2017

Hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjacket Union, the Summit theme, "Writing Lives in the Northland," explored the role of writing in the lives of both teachers and students inside and outside the academic contexts and how these relate, contrast, and inform each other.

2016

Hosted by College of St. Scholastica, the Summit was focused around the theme of "Engaging Communities," both in terms of writing teachers engaging their students, as well as how students can learn through community-based writing.

2015

Hosted by University of Minnesota-Duluth, the Summit expanded its focus by collaborating with English as a Second Language colleagues, whose interests dovetail with the teaching of writing. The theme was "Bridging Communities," a figurative nod to bringing disciplines together, as well as a figurative nod to the bridges connecting the Twin Ports of Superior, WI and Duluth, MN.

2014

Hosted by Lake Superior College, the inaugural conference brought college and high school writing instructors in the Northland together for the first time in the existing memories of senior colleagues (upwards of 20 years).

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