ACS WAG Program

“​A WAG is an active writing group that meets once a week over a 10-week block [Note: we’re doing 8 weeks] and follows a strict agenda of 15 minutes of updates and goal-setting followed by 30 minutes of individual writing, and then 15 minutes of reporting and wrap-up (there is no peer review of your writing – the WAG is focused on developing a process and habit of writing). A WAG is limited to 4-8 members and you MUST commit to attending at least 7 of the 10 weekly sessions. I guarantee that if you adhere to the plan, you will achieve increased writing productivity (quantity and quality), have greater control over the writing process, experience improved goal-setting and time management, and as a bonus, you'll establish relationships with new colleagues and friends.” --Johns Hopkins School of Medicine’s Office of Faculty Development

In most faculty members’ long "To Do" lists, "Write that article!" is often pushed down when urgent but less important tasks emerge. Writing is thus perennially relegated to summer, potentially productive months but also when we’re most isolated from our colleagues.

If accountability, structure, and community sound like helpful writing assistants to you, join the ACS Summer Writing Accountability Group (WAG) Program. Participants will be placed into multi-institutional groups that serve as mutual accountability partners throughout the summer.

Rhythm of the WAG Program

• The program begins with the development of a personal writing plan and a one-hour meeting of all participants (Thu, June 9, from 12:30-1:30pm EDT).

• Throughout the summer, participants will meet with their accountability group for one hour each week to establish and celebrate specific milestones, track their progress, talk through moments of feeling stuck, share advice on all things writing, cultivate a writing practice they can live with, and (most importantly) get some writing done.

• The program will end with a celebratory virtual gathering (Thu, July 28, 10-11am EDT).

Stipends

Participants who complete the program will receive $500 stipends.

This program is supported by the Associated Colleges of the South (ACS) and their Summer Workshops and Working Groups program.

The 41 writers in the 2022 cohort are listed below, first by campus and then by group:

By Campus

Hendrix College

• Kim Maslin

Millsaps College

• Stephanie Rolph

Southwestern University

• Erika Berroth

Morehouse College

• Lawrence Henderson

• Carolyn Davis

• Natasha Howard

Davidson College

• Kristen Thompson

• Rose Stremlau

• Barbara Lom

• Laurian Bowles

Rollins College

• Myra Monreal

• Jana Mathews

• David DiQuattro

• MacKenzie Moon Ryan

• Mattea Garcia

• Suzanne Jamir

Sewanee-University of the South

• Kati Curts

• Deborah McGrath

• Andrea Mansker

• Diana Hatchett

• Susanna Weygandt

• Molly Brookfield

• Jason Rosenberg

• Eric Thurman

Spelman College

• Bailey Brown

• Zhengbin “Richard” Lu

• Erica Williams

• Christopher Oakley

• Ali Hadd

• Gustavo Segura

• Sara Busdiecker

• Hanan Davis

Furman University

• Buket Oztas

• Sarah Adeyinka-Skold

• Sarah Archino

• Christy Allen

• Diane Boyd

• John Quinn

• Kaniqua Robinson

• Daniel Worden

• Lauren Jarocha

By WAG

Outdoor Writers (Group 1)

1. Andrea Mansker (Sewanee)

2. Bailey Brown (Spelman)

3. Kristen Thompson (Davidson)

4. John Quinn (Furman)

The Summer Breeze (Group 2)

1. Zhengbin “Richard” Lu (Spelman)

2. Sarah Adeyinka-Skold (Furman)

3. Kati Curts (Sewanee)

4. Rose Stremlau (Davidson)

The Collaborators (Group 3)

1. Jana Mathews (Rollins)

2. Stephanie Rolph (Millsaps)

3. Lawrence Henderson (Morehouse)

4. Hanan Davis (Spelman)
   

A-Parent Academics (Group 4)

1. Christy Allen (Furman)

2. Christopher Oakley (Spelman)

3. Susanna Weygandt (Sewanee)

4. MacKenzie Moon Ryan (Rollins)

The Great Lakers (Group 5)

1. David DiQuattro (Rollins)

2. Ali Hadd (Spelman)

3. Sarah Archino (Furman)

4. Molly Brookfield (Sewanee)

Write to Life (Group 6)

1. Deborah McGrath (Sewanee)

2. Diane Boyd (Furman)

3. Suzanne Jamir (Rollins)

4. Gustavo Segura (Spelman)

The Wise Owls (Group 7)

1. Eric Thurman (Sewanee)

2. Mattea Garcia (Rollins)

3. Buket Oztas (Furman)

4. Erika Berroth (Southwestern)

Pens & Progress (Group 8)

1. Diana Hatchett (Sewanee)

2. Myra Monreal (Rollins)

3. Barbara Lom (Davidson)

4. Daniel Worden (Furman)

Zora's Writers (Group 9)

1. Jason Rosenberg (Sewanee)

2. Kaniqua Robinson (Furman)

3. Carolyn Davis (Morehouse)

4. Erica Williams (Spelman)

5. Laurian Bowles (Davidson)

The Office (Group 10)

1. Sara Busdiecker (Spelman)

2. Lauren Jarocha (Furman)

3. Kim Maslin (Hendrix)

4. Natasha Howard (Morehouse)

Nancy Chick is Director of the Endeavor Foundation Center for Faculty Development at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. In 2020, she ended a nine-year run as the founding co-editor of Teaching & Learning Inquiry (the journal of the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning/ISSOTL) and editor/co-editor of several books in the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL). In addition to her experience as an editor, she has a faculty developer with a PhD in English and is keenly interested in faculty members’ roles as writers. Some of her favorite professional experiences have been hosting day-long (in-person) faculty writing retreats in various sites off campus. She looks forward to the day when she can do this again. To learn more about Nancy, visit her website.