Volume 24, Number 1, Spring 2007

From the Editor's Desktops

Heather Graves

hgraves@rogers.com

Roger Graves

University of Western Ontario

rgraves3@uwo.ca  

At the recent Canadian Association for Teachers of Technical Writing (CATTW) conference in Saskatoon, we learned (it was news to us) that both CASLL and CATTW share a 25th anniversay next year. It seems to us that the two organizations have much in common, too, including more than a few members and a shared interest in the teaching of writing. And that shared interest, it seems to us, might be better served by joint meetings of all the groups interested in the study and teaching writing.

At the next CATTW conference that group will share a program with the Canadian Society for Rhetoric. The plan is to have three concurrent sessions and give registrants of one conference the option of attending sessions at the other one. There is also talk of adding one day devoted to writing centre issues, although this, too, might be better served by having a fourth concurrent session.

The past 25 years have seen three organizations grow out of a desire to meet and exchange ideas with other academics interested in writing, rhetoric, and technical communication. The move to begin a listserv for writing centres in Canada shows that this felt need to gather and communicate is increasing. To us it suggests that there might be much to be gained from grouping the people interested in the research and teaching of writing under one tent. For one thing, few people can afford to attend three conferences in May. Why not all meet together, spend one airfare and hotel bill, and have fewer total days on the road? Grouping a wider variety of people together in one place would generate a greater sense of community. Each group could still meet and control their own conference programs; those who want to jump from one group to another could do so and potentially get more out of the experience.

The Inkshed conference, of course, has its own unique flavour. Those who attended the London one certainly got a sense of that. Here is just one example of how unique we are. If you have time to click on one link on this issue, click on the "tag cloud" that Margaret Proctor created. Each word on the page was mentioned in an inkshed; the size of the word represents how many times it was mentioned. We're not quite sure what to make of this, since it reads a bit like that magnetic fridge poetry that has become commonplace, and yet it gives some insight into the themes and concerns of Inkshed 24.

We're looking forward to the 25th Inkshed conference in Fredericton, NB next May and hope that you'll spill some ink or stroke some keys (time for a name update: "Keystrokes"?) and send your responses to the idea of a joint meeting of all those interested in the teaching and research of writing in Canada. Until then, keep your stick on the ice and your eye on the goal.