Printers Row Literary Fest 2015

The Printers Row Literary Fest is considered the largest FREE outdoor literary event in the Midwest.  This is a two day showcase from June 6-7, in the South Loop of Chicago. Over the years it has expanded from Dearborn Street to Polk Street. Printers Row Literary Fest was founded in 1985 by Near South Planning Board to attract  visitors of book lovers to the Printers Row Neighborhood.

Last year The Chicago Tribune celebrated the 30^th Anniversary of Printers Row Lit Fest. The festival included more than 400 authors,  book sellers from across the country, performers, and presenters and over 125,000 attendees who enjoyed author discussions, musical performances, book browsing and much more.

According to printersrowlitfest.org here are a few featured writers this year, 2015:

"Ian Belknap is Founder and Overlord of WRITE CLUB. He is author of several Bring Me the Head of James Franco, That I May Prepare a Savory Goulash in the Narrow and Misshapen Pot of His Skull."

"Jabari Asim is the author of many works of fiction, nonfiction, essays, poetry, and drama. He is currently the executive editor of The Crisis, the official magazine of the NAACP. "

"Kevin Coval is the founder of Louder Than A Bomb and the Artistic Director of Young Chicago Authors. He teachers at The University of Illinois-Chicago. This is Modern Art the play he co-authored- premiered at Steppenwolf Theater in the winter of 2015. His newest release "The Breakbeat Poets" comes out on April 4th."

"Nelson DeMille is a former U.S. Army lieutenant who served in Vietnam and is the author of eighteen acclaimed novels, including the #1 New York Times bestsellers "Night Fall", "Plum Island", "The Gate House", "The Lion", and "The Panther"."

Come support literacy and literary endeavor! For more additional information about this event, check out: printersrowlitfest.org

Writing Showcase Live, Tonight! 6-8pm

Boot Camp Sessions

Writing Boot Camp

Sponsored by School for New Learning Student Association (SNLSA) and SNL Writing

Get your assignments completed!!

Do you have an incomplete grade? A final project that is dragging on?

Finish your assignments including ILP, AP, Capstone, or AIP through Writing Boot Camp.

Attend one or more free, faculty-led sessions.

Program is designed for SNL students who currently have an incomplete grade on their Transcript or students working on writing assignments.

Sessions are set up to increase the likelihood students will complete

necessary courses to obtain a degree.

Sessions offer a supportive academic environment, writing assistance, and help with library services so that students can get assignments completed.

Session Dates:                                  

Saturday, May 16, 9:00am-1:00pm                     Naperville Campus, 150 W. Warrenville Rd., Bld. 200

Wednesday, May 20, 5:30-9:00pm                    

Loop Campus, Daley Bldg., 14 E. Jackson, Lab 1325

Wednesday, May 27, 5:30-9:00pm

Saturday, May 30, 9:00am-1:00pm                    

Oak Forest Campus, 16333 S. Kilbourn Ave.

Saturday, June 6, 9:00am-1:00pm                     

O’Hare Campus, 8770 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.

To Register: Email your name, DePaul ID# and the incomplete course title(s) you wish to work on to snlsa@depaul.edu at least 3 days prior to your desired sessions (messages to this email are reviewed by DePaul / SNL college faculty and staff only)

Items to Bring to Session(s):  Please bring a flash drive, your copy of the incomplete contract, all prior assignment preparation, including research material, assignment instructions, and assignment writing format (APA/MLA). Please let your faculty mentor know you plan to attend.

Benefits of earning a degree are endless, current researchers note:

ü High correlation between earnings and individuals with a degree

ü Increased civic participation among individuals with a degree

ü Happier marriages / decreased divorce rates among individuals with a degree

ü Pervasive sense of accomplishment / better overall attitudes in individuals with a degree

A Bit of Mindfulness in the Classroom

by Kamilah Cummings

As adults in a range of industries find themselves increasingly overextended with mounting professional and personal responsibilities, the concept of work-life balance has garnered renewed interest.  For many, achieving equilibrium between work and life has become a seemingly impossible task. One often needs to look no further than the man in the mirror to find an example of this reality. However, work-life imbalance brings with it an increase in stress (Mayo Clinic Staff) along with a host of related physical maladies. Awareness of this harrowing fact led me to explore managing the stress of work-life imbalance in my own life. One way that I began to do this was to incorporate simple mindfulness practices into my daily routine. As a result of my positive experiences, I decided to incorporate one of my mindfulness practices into my classes. 

Despite increased awareness through books, workshops, and even iPad apps, mindfulness is not a new concept. It is an ancient one that can be found in many Eastern spiritual and religious traditions from martial arts and yoga to Buddhism (Harris 21). Although many think of meditation when they hear the term mindfulness, meditation is just one of many ways to practice mindfulness. “Mindfulness’ can be defined in a variety of different ways, but they all basically come down to this: paying attention with flexibility, openness, and curiosity” (Harris 21). In short, mindfulness is simply being aware in the present moment and paying attention to one’s feelings. 

Researchers who have studied mindfulness and mental health professionals who incorporate it into a variety of therapies have learned that mindfulness can alleviate stress and anxiety by allowing those who practice it to view their experiences from different perspectives and gain deeper understanding about themselves. As author and psychotherapist Russ Harris states, “We can use mindfulness to . . . improve our self-knowledge – to learn more about how we feel, think and react. Considering that we require our students to do a great deal of reflection in our courses, I thought that my classes would be a perfect place to introduce students to mindfulness through the inclusion of an assignment that allowed them to write about their feelings in the present moment.

As adult learners, I know that my students have to add academic life to the work-life balancing act. Because my students usually take my classes in their first three terms, they are often still managing the stress of returning to school. Add to that that they are enrolled in a writing course, and the anxiety rating skyrockets for many of them.  Therefore, given my own positive experience with managing stress and anxiety with a daily mindfulness writing activity, I thought I would create a simple weekly journal assignment for my students to share the practice with them. My hope was that they would find it equally beneficial. 

I replaced the normal writing journal prompts that I used to use with what I call a “Right Now” journal. The assignment gives a brief explanation of the use of writing as a mindful practice and then requires the student to write a journal entry that begins with the prompt, “Right now I . . .” . I allow students 10 minutes to write while I play calming instrumental music – usually Reiki, meditation, or Santana. I also invite students to start the assignment by taking a couple of deep breaths if they want. I give the same assignment every week. 

At first, I was unsure how students would receive the assignment, so I only used it in a small face-to-face class. I was surprised by how quickly the students took to the assignment (and the music). Students wrote about everything from anxiety related to the class and assignments to residual feelings from disagreements with family and friends, the day at work,  and the commute to class. I usually engaged in the practice along with them. I always gave the option to share their entries afterward. Sometimes we all shared; sometimes we didn’t. Either way, it was rewarding to see students using the assignment to navigate present feelings about their experiences. As the term progressed, they shared how they used the assignment outside of class at home and at work during stressful situations. They also stated that starting the evening with the mindfulness assignment helped them to de-stress and focus more on the class. 

In addition to the benefit of giving students practice writing in general, another benefit to the “Right Now” journal assignment for me was that it afforded an opportunity to connect with my students on a different level and to learn more about them. Because I try to take a holistic approach to teaching, I found the level of community building that occurred in the class as a result of this assignment allowed me to better understand, teach, and encourage my students. 

As I previously stated, I wasn’t sure how the introduction of mindfulness via the “Right Now” assignment would be received by my students, but I am happy that I chose to use it. I am currently using it in another course, and the students in that course have reacted to it the same way my previous students did. When the course ended last term, students said they planned to continue to use the assignment in their lives. For me, that has been the greatest benefit of incorporating this assignment in my classes. Learning should be both transformative and transferrable, and my students’ responses to this simple addition of mindfulness to my classes reflect this to me.

Works Cited

Christopher Germer, Ph.D. "What is Mindfulness?" Insight (2004): 24-29.

Harris, Russ. "Mindfulness without Meditation ." Healthcare, Counselling and Psychotherapy Journal (2009): 21-24.

Mayo Clinic Staff. Work-life balance: Tips to reclaim control. 12 July 2012. 30 April 2015 <http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/work-life-balance/art-20048134>.

It's not too late to register for "Teaching with Writing in Any Course"

SNL's "Teaching with Writing in Any Course" professional development online course for SNL faculty and staff begins April 13. To reserve your place, please email snlwriting@depaul.edu.

Course Location:  Online

Times/Dates:  Section Five: 4/13/15 – 5/24/15 (six modules)

Faculty: Steffanie Triller Fry, Writing Instructor
E-mail:  striller@depaul.edu
Phone: 312-362-7631

Course Description:
This online course (six-modules) for teachers in any discipline focuses on making the most of writing as a tool for teaching and learning in undergraduate and graduate courses. In the course, teachers will explore practical ideas for in-class writing assignments that initiate discussions and provide quick input regarding student learning. Teachers will also learn strategies for developing assignments and providing feedback while maximizing efficiency and minimizing frustration. Opportunities to share ideas and receive coaching on current writing assignments and ways of giving feedback are included. This course does not have prerequisites; however, those taking it should have undergraduate or graduate courses that they wish to develop or revise and experience teaching at the college level that they can draw upon for discussions.

What Prior Participants Have Said:
“The mathematician Paul Erdös spent much of his life essentially homeless, staying with one colleague after another, arriving on a doorstep unannounced, ready to collaborate, saying, “My brain is open.”   People who take this course should arrive at it with their brains open. Be prepared to be surprised by how many things you’re already doing right, how many others you’re doing that can hamper students’ progress, and best of all, how many genuinely useful ideas and techniques you will learn from the readings and from your classmates.” – Carolyn Allen

“Be honest about the fact that all of us can still learn -- even if we have been teaching for many, many years. People have to be open to new ideas and willing to share their flaws as well as their strengths.” – Jane Wagoner

“First, take it! Do plan your schedules so you can delve into the assignments--they prompt reflection and imagination. Post your assignments early enough in the week so you can get the advantage of feedback from others.” – Catherine Marienau

“Be prepared to spend a good amount of time on the course, but it is truly worth the time. If you are debating about taking the course seriously consider changing your schedule so you can. It will make teaching easier and more rewarding.” – Barbara Donnelly

“Like any online class, keep up and read a little at a time.   Trying to read everyone's posts and write your own all at once is a little overwhelming and you will miss a lot of the benefit if you can't read your classmates' posts.” – Liz Leavy

“Take it!  I would advise future students to have a particular course in mind that they would like to revise or improve upon and to use that course as the focus in the class.” – Cynthia Milsap

“My only advice is to keep up with the readings.   Maybe, create your own Idea Log -- to list good ideas from the readings and from postings by classmates. There is so much great info each week and it goes by so fast." – Pat Szczerba

“Don’t underestimate the time it will take to complete the modules.” – Kenya Grooms

“Make a commitment to the course--the time, the sharing, the analysis of your own work.” – Rebecca Russell

“I will say, pace yourself, a lot of reading and discussion participation, and be open to changing the way you teach.  I know my concern about this class was that it was going to require me to increase my time teaching and grading.  However, much to my surprise, if I change a few things, I may be able to help my students improve their writing without increasing my workload.” – Lu Rocha

Learning Strategies & Learning Resources: This online class will use discussions, peer collaboration, readings, videos and a variety of forms of feedback as learners practice applying what they are learning to their teaching.

Required Text (will be provided free to participants):
Gottschlak, Katherine and Keith Hjortshoj. The Elements of Teaching Writing: A Resource for Instructors in All Disciplines. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2004.
Additional selected readings will be available online.

Assessment:
All assignments and discussions in this course will be marked complete or incomplete at the end of each module. There are 14 discussions and 2 assignments in the course, and all must be completed to earn the course completion certificate.



About the Instructor:
Steffanie Triller Fry has taught in college writing classrooms for over ten years. She has served as Writing Instructor and Writing Program Administrator at DePaul University's School for New Learning for more than half of that time. She received her M.A. in Literature from DePaul University and will receive her M.F.A. in creative writing from Lesley University in the summer of 2015. Her writing has earned her a Vincentian Endowment Fund Grant, a Steans Community-based Research Faculty Fellowship, and a DePaul TLA Assessment of Student Learning grant. For more about her current projects, see https://depaul.digication.com/steffanie_the_writing_instructor.

"Voluminous Written Feedback and 'Over-Efforting' Instructors": A conversation among writing faculty

In a recent conversation on the Writing Program Administrators List-Serv, faculty from across the nation discussed issues with instructors who provide too much feedback on students' papers and essays. According to their research, instructor over-commenting on student writing has a diminishing ROI for both the students and the instructors.

Since I have heard from SNL faculty members who feel that providing written feedback can be too time-intensive, and I have heard from students who have difficulty navigating and prioritizing their instructors' suggestions for revision, I thought it might be useful to share some key points and tips from this discussion (emphasis is mine):

-->"A common bit of advice is to avoid overwhelming students with exhaustive written feedback. As I understand it, it's a problem to provide too many written comments for a few reasons: (1) can be overwhelming or discouraging for novice writers, (2) makes it difficult for students to discern what Nancy Sommers has called a "scale of concerns", (3) is unlikely to result in comprehensive improvement may result in instructor exhaustion and frustration" –Jonathan Hunt, University of San Francisco

-->"[Our] surveys suggest that students don't even look at teacher commentary unless the grade is something they didn't think they deserved.  In other words, if they hand in the essay thinking it's a "B" and they receive a "B," then they don't look at the commentary.  If they hand in the essay thinking it's a "B" and they get a "C," then they look at the commentary." -Jill Dahlman, Ph.D., University of Nevada, Reno

-->"One thing I've done is to take real examples of student papers with voluminous feedback (blinded), and ask my colleagues to imagine themselves as the student authors. I ask them to read through the feedback and 1) write about how it makes them feel, and 2) describe their plan of action for revising. Some people have actually said that they would simply throw it in the trash!  They realize that with so much feedback (including copy-editing) they simply wouldn't know what to do." –Jonathan Hunt, University of San Francisco

-->"Comments written by teachers who are respected by students and who work to ally themselves with students' intentions (about writing that the students are heavily invested in) are devoured by students -- not just for their potential to help the writer better do what s/he was trying to do, but also for their potential to make the student feel seen and heard." -Maja Wilson, University of Maine

-->"[Piper Selden and I] are finding that when we have the students write their own notes on the essays (as opposed to our writing commentary), more is retained by the student.  The essays are coming out much better by the end of the semester.  -Jill Dahlman, Ph.D., University of Nevada, Reno

-->"The research […] recommends restricting the volume of teacher commentary in ways that are task, discipline, and learner specific." –From abstract of "The Complexities of Responding to Student Writing; or, Looking for Shortcuts via the Road of Excess" by Richard Haswell

-->"Josephine Coster-Tarvers […] advises commenters to focus on patterns rather than everything. -Christopher Sean Harris, California State University Los Angeles

-->"Try a time-limited screencast program like Jing. It allows you five minutes (maximum) of oral commentary, which also forces you to focus on the most important issues, accompanied by scrolling and highlighting through the student's paper. Interestingly, it also controls the student's focus--you lead the student through the commentary, instead of the student deciding what to look at (sometimes little of it but the grade?). We've done three years of research on this method and it surpasses written commentary on a number of dimensions (including amount of commentary: teachers who used it provided an average of 780 words in five minutes, compared with their typical written responses, which were about 150 words). Teachers said more, explained more, and, affectively, were perceived by students to be supporting them a lot more." –Chris Anson, North Carolina State University

-->"[…] even if an instructor maintains that it is helpful to, say, circle every comma splice on every students' writing, they might be able to concede that a short, interactive lesson on comma splices would both cost less time and produce more benefits." -Paul T. Corrigan, Southeastern University

-->"[Josephine Miles] was a scholar of British and world history at Berkeley, an acclaimed poet, and a widely read compositionist. At Berkeley, despite being made University Professor in 1973, she continued to teach a section of English 1A every year. She was tough and known for commenting sparsely on student papers. She would put little check marks beside passages that she liked. One of her students was Kate Blickhahn, early member of the Bay Area Writing Project. Blickhahn recalls "a great welling of pleasure on seeing several of those tiny marks on something I had written." –Richard Haswell, Texas A&M

If you are a School for New Learning faculty or staff member who is interested in learning more about efficiently providing effective, targeted feedback on students' writing, consider taking Steffanie Triller Fry's online professional development course, "Teaching with Writing in Any Course", which starts April 13. More information is here.

Works Cited
Writing Program Administrators List-Serv. WPA-L Digest 22 Feb 2015 (#2015-74). Tempe, AZ: Arizona State University WPA-L, 2015.

What is Critique Circle?

 Critique Circle (http://www.critiquecircle.com/newmembersinfo.asp) is a website where writers can submit work to be critiqued. It works on exchange system in which you trade giving for receiving critiques of your work. While it is apparently primarily for creative writers, people also submit academic essays for feedback.