Dear Colleagues,
We are EXTENDING THE DEADLINE to submit proposals to the University of Connecticut First-Year Writing Program’s 21st Annual Conference on the Teaching of Writing.
NEW DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 15th, 2026
CALL FOR PROPOSALS
Our theme for the upcoming conference is: “Wicked Reading for Wicked Problems." We are once again inviting you to help us explore ways of approaching ‘wicked problems’ that evade consensus, offer multiple solutions, or may even resist resolution at all. Instead, such dilemmas invite us to open space to collaborate, engage, and challenge ourselves within the classroom and our discussions of academic freedom.
We are excited to share that our keynote speaker, Dr. Kendall Gerdes, will be leading us in exploring the role of writing education in connection with academic freedom during times of emergent crises. They are an Associate Professor at the University of Utah and a winner of the 2025 Conference on College Composition & Communication’s (CCCC) Outstanding Book Award for their book Sensitive Rhetorics: Academic Freedom and Campus Activism (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2024). Dr. Gerdes will also be hosting a teaching workshop that will engage participants in exploring the possibilities for teaching sensitive and contentious topics in times of polycrisis.
We invite you to submit proposals that may explore, but are not limited to, topics such as:
- How might the frameworks of “wicked problems” and “wicked reading” impose upon and reshape students’ writing identities?
- How do we foster engagement with texts that encourage either competing or complicated answers?
- How does the writing classroom handle questions and anxieties around academic freedom?
- What is at stake for secondary classroom educators when working within frameworks of “wicked problems” and “polycrises”?
**For more possible areas of inquiry, we encourage you to visit our website at s.uconn.edu/fywconference.
We are inviting proposals that take the form of research presentations, teaching workshops, or ideas that will be featured in our Research Slam. We encourage any submissions that engage our participants in exciting or interactive ways when discussing these ‘wicked problems.’
The deadline for proposal submissions is now FEBRUARY 15th, 2026. Please visit our website for more details on submission guidelines and formats.
DATE AND LOCATION
The conference will be held on Thursday, April 23 and Friday, April 24, 2026, on our campus in Storrs, CT.
REGISTRATION RATES
The registration rates cover both days of the conference. Breakfast and Lunch will be provided.
- UConn FYW Instructors and UConn grad students: free
- Non-UConn grad students: $10
- Contingent faculty and independent scholars: $20
- UConn full-time faculty: $30
- Non-UConn full-time faculty: $50
If you have any questions, please email us at FYWConference.
Sincerely,
The University of Connecticut First-Year Writing Program’s Conference Planning Committee
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