A-State to Hold 12th Annual 'National Day on Writing' Celebration

10/16/2024

JONESBORO- The Department of English, Philosophy and World Languages, the A-State Writing Center, and KASU invite Arkansas State University students to a three-day celebration for the National Day on Writing (NDoW). The event will be taking place Oct. 21 through Oct. 23.

The National Day on Writing is an annual event created by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). According to the NCTE, the NDoW was designed to "draw attention to the remarkable variety of writing Americans engage in, and to help make writers from all walks of life aware of their craft."

Since 2012, A-State's Department of English, Philosophy and World Languages has collaborated with various other departments, on-campus organizations and local businesses to celebrate the NDoW.

The A-State NDoW planning committee co-chair Tabatha Simpson-Farrow observed,

"The NDoW committee invites Red Wolves to 'Rage with the Machines.' This year's theme is inspired by our love for science fiction and growing interest in, sometimes fear, of machine writing," said Simpson-Farrow, director of the Writing Center.

"We've invited speakers to explore with audiences the genre that has thrilled readers, writers and filmmakers from all walks of life. We are also hosting events that will give students space to explore large language models and share their experiences with machine writing."

The committee has planned various events centered around science fiction and AI-generated writing. From Oct. 21 until Oct. 23, the committee encourages guests to participate in their #WhyIWrite campaign by posting sticky notes with one's reason for writing on the glass walls of the Writing Center and the fourth-floor seminar room in the Humanities and Social Sciences Building.

The Creative Writing Club with the Tributary (A-State's student literary magazine) will host journaling and open mic night sessions on the west side of the Humanities and Social Sciences Building from 9:30 a.m. to noon on Monday, Oct. 21.

Then, from 11 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, Oct. 22, in the same location, Dr. Bryan Moore will give a talk on science fiction, followed by a question and answer session. Following Moore's session, retired teachers and science fiction authors, David and Cindy Johnson, will give a talk with a question and answer session from noon to 1 p.m.

Later in the evening, there will be an after-hours short fiction/poetry reading event at IV Kings on Nettleton Ave. from 6 to 7 p.m.

Finally, as part of the Dean of Liberal Arts and Communication's Brown Bag Lunch Series, Dr. Jill Simons, interim chair of communication, will host an AI summit from noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 23, at the Humanities and Social Sciences building in room 1041. The panel will include undergraduate students of various majors; however, graduate students are invited to share insights as well.

The A-State NDoW planning committee co-chair Dr. Kerri Bennett stated, "We are excited about this year's celebration and we hope that the variety of events we're holding will appeal to everyone. AI is something that has begun to touch so many aspects of our daily lives, and it isn't going away."

"That's why the planning committee decided that we are going to 'Rage with the Machines,' be proactive and teach our student writers to use AI responsibly. It's part of our jobs as English teachers now," concluded Bennett, instructor in English.

A-State's history of celebrating the NDoW began when Bennett and Dr. Dixie Keyes held a small event at the Dean B. Ellis Library on the afternoon of Oct. 20, 2012. Placing a chalkboard within an open study room, the chalkboard read "Before I die…" They intended for passersby to complete the statement with what they would like to accomplish while they have time.

With the support of faculty and other departments at A-State, the celebration of the NDoW grew into what it is today. For additional details, one may contact the Writing Center, 870-972-2158, or Bennett, [email protected].

Humanities and Social Sciences Building

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