More than 600 students will show off their writing skills at the fourth annual Showcase of Student Writing from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Dec. 3.
Graphic narratives, story slams and grant proposals are just a few of the many genres that will be displayed in the Memorial Union Great Plains Ballroom. Judges from North Dakota State and the public will award prizes for the best pieces of writing.
“The showcase gets students out of their classrooms and provides them with the opportunity to talk about their writing in a public forum,” Lisa Arnold, assistant professor of English and director of First-Year Writing, said.
More than 60 instructors have decided to have some, or all, of the students in their classes participate in the showcase. Students come from a wide variety of academic disciplines and backgrounds, including first-year writing, writing in the humanities and social sciences, business, technical, scientific and professional writing, creative and writing in foreign languages.
Some of the works are written in the traditional dimensions of academic writing, such as research papers, rhetorical analyses and reflective essays. Others represent more unusual genres, such as board game proposals, film scripts and “Shark Tank” pitches.
Arnold said they expect more than 1,000 participants and visitors, including faculty, staff, local writers and other professionals from the local community.
“The showcase gets students out of their classrooms and provides them with the opportunity to talk about their writing” – Lisa Arnold, assistant professor of English
“Students’ writing across disciplines at NDSU is creative, innovative and smart, and we are excited for our local community to be surprised and impressed by it,” Arnold said.
If students capture the attention of one of the secret roaming judges, they can win prizes. Last year, a student was offered an internship by a visitor at the showcase.
“This event highlights the inherently social and public aspects of writing — without an audience, there is little purpose in writing,” Arnold said.
The Showcase of Student Writing is free to attend and snacks will be provided.
The showcase is supported by the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; College of Engineering; College of Health Professions; College of Human Development and Education; College of Science and Mathematics; department of anthropology and sociology; department of communication; department of criminal justice and political science; department of English; department of history, philosophy and religious studies; department of modern languages; division of performing arts; NDSU Bookstore; NDSU Libraries; Office of Teaching and Learning; and women and gender studies program.
Community or corporate sponsors include The Arts Partnership, Plains Art Museum, Cengage Publishing, W.W. Norton, MacMillan Learning and Microsoft.