At the Writers Workshop, we proudly say that a “research university is a writing university.” Each day, groundbreaking discoveries are made across every corner of the University of Illinois. Less appreciated, however, is how these discoveries are shaped and facilitated through writing.
From freshmen composing their first research papers to doctoral students honing their dissertation proposals, writers are constantly questioning, reflecting, and extending the boundaries between known and unknown. Through individual and group writing consultations, the Writers Workshop functions as a central space to support this ongoing work.
At the undergraduate level, research and writing processes often begin with uncertainty. Lydia, a senior majoring in Spanish & speech and hearing science, reflects that her work as a Writers Workshop consultant often involves translating expectations and reinforcing writers’ efforts. “Many RHET 105 students that come in are concerned about genre expectations. A lot of them are lost and anxious and confused,” Lydia observes.
Macy, an undergraduate consultant studying brain and cognitive science, adds that many undergraduate writers believe that they are simply “bad writers.” In Macy’s experience, this is hardly ever the case. “When you come across as much writing as I do, it kind of stops being good and bad and just starts being different.” Her role, she explains, is to help writers recognize that distinction and build confidence in their abilities to develop their ideas.
As students move beyond introductory courses, writing becomes more specialized, and challenges evolve. Maris, a veterinary student who earned her PhD in the Program for Ecology, Evaluation, and Conservation Biology, describes working with writers in disciplines like computer engineering and biology, recognizing the distinct conventions and expectations of each field. Still, Maris emphasizes the importance of communicating research beyond one’s discipline. “At the end of the day, that’s what we’re going to be doing anyway. Not all of your committee members may be familiar with what you’re working on,” she explains. Maris draws on her role not only as a writing consultant, but as a reader and researcher, to guide writers toward greater clarity and impact.
For graduate students, writing also involves learning to recognize and articulate one’s own research contributions. August, a consultant and PhD candidate in sociocultural anthropology, notes, “it’s really striking just how opaque and how confusing grad school can be,” acknowledging the unwritten disciplinary expectations and discourse practices graduate students must navigate. Hilary, a fellow graduate consultant and PhD candidate in musicology, highlights that it is increasingly important for graduate students to own their knowledge and experiences in writing. “Some of the things that I love about the job are recognizing original thought, celebrating it and being like, ‘hey, you just made some knowledge that didn’t exist before!’”
Knowledge flows both ways at the Writers Workshop. August and Hilary share a unique working relationship, serving as both consultants and writers for each other. In reflecting on what they’ve learned from each other’s work, there is an overwhelming sense of admiration and intellectual exchange. Hilary notes that August “threads so much social theory with their lived experiences and with these vignettes and moments of calm and rupture,” appreciating the craft and skill August brings to their research. August explains that “Hilary’s dissertation and her research is incredibly rich in a visual and artistic dimension,” sharing that her creative endeavors have inspired them to “try to represent some things more visually” through the incorporation of photography into their writing.
Similarly, Lydia recalls working with an upper-level sociology student on research about social deviance, describing the session as “definitely more of a co-creation of what was going on.” August adds:
“I don’t think I could have appreciated the breadth of knowledge-production and exchange that’s happening at this university before working here.”
Across disciplines and academic levels, writers and consultants alike contribute to a larger process of discovery. At the Writers Workshop, research is carried out through exchanges between students learning, questioning, and writing alongside one another. Every consultation is a reminder that a research university is truly a writing university.
By Ekangika Mahanti, Neuroscience major, Political Science minor