Last fall, I gave my students a 3-question anonymous survey asking them to describe their own writing style, their goals for it, and what they think their teachers want. The responses were generous, honest, and enlightening. Some described their writing voice as “generic” or “emotional.” One said, “I want my audience to feel safe while reading it.” Asked what they think their teachers want, the word “professional” came up again and again.

What is buried under this word “professional”? What is giving students this impression? Do we need to rethink how we convey expectations, how we discuss style?

Join this 3-session in-person exploration of how we talk about writing with students. We’ll develop surveys together, survey our students, and come together to share what we find. AI may feel like a thorn in our sides, but it’s also an opportunity to face some important questions, to think about what our students want for their own writing, what our goals are, and how we recognize growth when we see it.

While we won’t answer all of these questions in three sessions, we will have pizza! And that will help! We will also read parts of John Warner’s More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI (2025). If you’d like to receive a free physical copy of the book (we have a limited amount to give away!), please let us know on the sign-up form. You can already explore the e-book via Hunter College Libraries.

We hope you can attend all three sessions! I am truly excited about what we’ll discover together.

If you have any questions, please contact Katie Winkelstein-Duveneck at kw1853@hunter.cuny.edu.