Creating Connections 2026
Our theme for the 9th annual Creating Connections symposium on writing pedagogy is “Collaboration and Community.” This theme invites us to think about the ways writing helps us connect with our students, colleagues, and communities at large. In the face of dehumanizing technologies and increasingly divisive rhetoric, collaboration becomes an act of resistance and care. This year’s symposium foregrounds how composition can be a shared practice to bring diverse–and sometimes disconnected–individuals and communities together. We will engage this theme through a range of interactive workshops and a keynote “lunch and learn” with Dr. Laura Gonzalez, editor of Reflections: A Journal of Community-Engaged Writing and Rhetoric. Instructors will come away with a wide range of ideas to reinvigorate their teaching.
This event is free, and we welcome interested UCLA graduate students, instructors, library staff, and administrators from all departments and units to attend – please spread the word! Creating Connections is intended as an in-person event, but we will provide a Zoom link (via RSVP) for those who would like to watch remotely.
RSVPs have closed, but you are still welcome to join us and register when you arrive.
Location
Young Research Library Main Conference Room (YRL 11360)
Zoom information will be provided via RSVP
Schedule
Morning mixerJoin us for some breakfast goodies and time to chat with Graduate Certificate in Writing Pedagogy participants, faculty, and friends. |
9:00 – 9:30 |
Welcome RemarksLaurel Westrup (she/her), Coordinator, Graduate Certificate in Writing Pedagogy slides For those joining on Zoom, we’ll start around 9:30 |
9:30 – 9:45 |
WorkshopThe Dialogic Classroom: Navigating Discomfort and Difference Through Reading and Writing Description: This panel explores how dialogic teaching methods support students in navigating difference, disagreement, and discomfort in both reading and writing. We share and reflect on classroom strategies that help students engage responsibly with complex viewpoints—with their peers, course texts, and the audiences they address. Attendees will have an opportunity to workshop their own practices for building trust and engagement. Workshop Leaders: Rachel Ketai (she/hers), Lecturer in Writing Programs, First-Year Writing Coordinator, UCLA Links: Workshop slides | Rachel’s handout | Maja’s handout |
9:45 – 11:00 |
Break and Conversation |
11:00 – 11:15 |
WorkshopCreating Transformative Learning Experiences for Multilingual and Linguistically Diverse Students Description: This session explores how instructors can design/create transformative learning spaces for multilingual and linguistically diverse students. We will share resources about a community-building icebreaker that disrupts the myth of seeing writing as an innate talent; a holistic instructional framework that embraces diverse experiences and perspectives with the goal of fostering the values of global citizenship; and strategies for building community through everyday interactions and core assignments in language classrooms. Workshop Leaders: Jiaao Liu (she/her), Education Department, UCLA Link: Workshop slides |
11:15 – 12:00 |
Keynote Lunch and Learn with Dr. Laura GonzalesAssociate Professor of English at University of Florida and Editor of Reflections: A Journal of Community-Engaged Writing and Rhetoric Keynote: “Centering Multilingual Writers and Community Engagement in Digital Writing Pedagogies.” Keynote slides Lunch will be provided! |
12:00 – 1:15 |
WorkshopWriting Encounters: Experiential Learning as Community Building Description: Writing is more than communication or expression; it is a way to connect with the world that can shape how students think, feel, and engage. This interactive session highlights practical approaches to building writing skills and community through experiential learning, from guest speakers and field trips to service-learning courses. Attendees will leave with concrete strategies and resources for adapting and implementing these practices in their own teaching contexts. Workshop Leaders: Ivy Y. Kwok (she/her), MS, PhD, Lecturer, UCLA Undergraduate Education Initiatives Link: Workshop slides |
1:15 – 2:30 |
Break and Conversation |
2:30 – 2:45 |
WorkshopScience as Conversation: Community and Criticality in STEM Classrooms Description: This session will explore how educators can use learning communities as a valuable resource to encourage critical thinking for students at various stages of their education. Criticality is an important skill for students across all disciplines; it shapes how we engage with outside information, question assumptions, and refine opinions. We will discuss how vulnerability, cross-genre writing, and peer review strategies can help develop these skills, with an emphasis on STEM classroom implementation. Workshop Leaders: Caitlyn Fick (she/her), PhD candidate, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry Links: Workshop slides | Op-ed peer review guide | Cross genre handout |
2:45 – 3:30 |
2026 Steering Committee:
Chloe Bell-Wilson (she/her), History and Clusters
Peggy Davis (she/her), Writing Programs
James Epps (he/him), Information Studies and Clusters
Laurel Westrup (she/her), Writing Programs
Thank You
David Bullwinkle, Writing Programs
Arpit Gaind, World Arts and Cultures (and Clusters)
Christine Holten, Director of Writing Programs
Sara Hosegera, Curriculum Planning Analyst, Writing Programs
Liz Galvin Liu, Associate Director of Writing Programs
Chris Thompson, IT Manager, Writing Programs & English
Amber West, Writing Programs
This symposium is organized by students in the Graduate Certificate in Writing Pedagogy in consultation with faculty and staff in UCLA Writing Programs and with support from UCLA’s Center for Community Engagement.