MnWE 2025 Call for Proposals
The Minnesota Writing & English Conference’s 2025 theme, “Engaging Students During Turbulent Times,” places our focus on students’ needs, including concerns beyond the carefully crafted learning outcomes of our course outlines. We educators seek to understand the people entering our classrooms and clicking into our course websites and provide them resonant learning opportunities, but most of us have not shared the life experiences of our younger students. And while every generation confronts challenges, today’s college-goers have had to navigate especially rough waters.
This cohort has faced climate change; pandemic isolation and learning loss; civil rights protests to police brutality here and human rights atrocities abroad; undermining of faith in democracy; intensified battles over gender identities, respect for life, and bodily autonomy; and oppressive student loan debt, just to begin the list. No wonder some students seem to have lost their zest for the essay draft due tomorrow!
Turbulent times for all, but perhaps particularly trying for the young. Most of us are not counselors—and there are times we must, of course, call in the professionals—but we do not teach/advise/tutor unless we are hopeful about the future and want our students to thrive. So how do we engage them and foster learning, optimism, and agency?
Propose a Breakout Session
MnWE invites you to propose an individual presentation for a roundtable discussion, or you may create an entire roundtable of 3-5 people and submit a shared proposal. If you propose an individual presentation, the MnWE team will place you in a roundtable with 2-4 other presenters talking about a similar topic. Roundtable speakers may present in-person or online through Zoom. Please limit your presentation to 5-6 minutes so there is plenty of time for roundtable speakers and audience members to discuss the issues.
Click here to Propose a Breakout Session. For conference info, go to www.mnwe.org
Apply for a MnWE Grant
If you need help with registration/travel/lodging expenses, apply for a MnWE Grant.
The Minnesota Writing & English Conference’s 2025 theme, “Engaging Students During Turbulent Times,” places our focus on students’ needs, including concerns beyond the carefully crafted learning outcomes of our course outlines. We educators seek to understand the people entering our classrooms and clicking into our course websites and provide them resonant learning opportunities, but most of us have not shared the life experiences of our younger students. And while every generation confronts challenges, today’s college-goers have had to navigate especially rough waters.
This cohort has faced climate change; pandemic isolation and learning loss; civil rights protests to police brutality here and human rights atrocities abroad; undermining of faith in democracy; intensified battles over gender identities, respect for life, and bodily autonomy; and oppressive student loan debt, just to begin the list. No wonder some students seem to have lost their zest for the essay draft due tomorrow!
Turbulent times for all, but perhaps particularly trying for the young. Most of us are not counselors—and there are times we must, of course, call in the professionals—but we do not teach/advise/tutor unless we are hopeful about the future and want our students to thrive. So how do we engage them and foster learning, optimism, and agency?
- How can we help Composition students believe that words can make a difference?
- How can Creative Writing expand inner and outer worlds and articulate new possibilities?
- What might Literature do for empathy and resilience in addition to any aesthetic benefits?
- How might the lessons of trauma-based pedagogy inform our teaching?
- How can Writing Center tutors help writers grow in confidence?
- How can Librarians guide students through the swirl of information and perspectives?
- What can English teachers learn from Reading and ESOL about empowering students?
- How might educators guard against Artificial Intelligence to value human intelligence or incorporate AI to boost human potential?
- How do we take care of ourselves so that we may bring energy and joy to teaching?
Propose a Breakout Session
MnWE invites you to propose an individual presentation for a roundtable discussion, or you may create an entire roundtable of 3-5 people and submit a shared proposal. If you propose an individual presentation, the MnWE team will place you in a roundtable with 2-4 other presenters talking about a similar topic. Roundtable speakers may present in-person or online through Zoom. Please limit your presentation to 5-6 minutes so there is plenty of time for roundtable speakers and audience members to discuss the issues.
Click here to Propose a Breakout Session. For conference info, go to www.mnwe.org
Apply for a MnWE Grant
If you need help with registration/travel/lodging expenses, apply for a MnWE Grant.