MnWE 2026 Call for Proposals: Agency, Authenticity, and Digital Literacy
“Agency, Authenticity, and Digital Literacy,” the Minnesota Writing & English Conference’s 2026 theme, speaks directly to our work with Composition, Creative Writing, and Literature students. We teach these courses because we believe words count, know that through examining and composing texts together we can better discern how and why language matters, and want our learners to trust that their writing and speaking can make a difference.
We instructors model the habits we hope to nurture—thoughtful exchange and a willingness to change one’s mind. Conversation is not, however, a surefire tonic for painful divisions, as words may mislead, incite, and wound. They might also emerge earnestly from perspectives we don’t share. We rightly encourage students to seek many voices and thus counteract what Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED Talk calls “The Danger of a Single Story.” How do we weigh competing narratives? What competencies, such as cultural, scientific, or digital literacy, must we bring to assessing those diverse views? And what, exactly, is “authenticity” in different rhetorical contexts?
Online media may make such evaluations more complex, and not just due to AI and “deep fake” concerns. Social media gives individuals access to audiences like no previous communication channels and has challenged traditional markers of authority and expertise, for better and for worse. Our mediascape makes critical reading and viewing paramount even as preparation for these tasks shows signs of decline. Many of today’s incoming college students have grown up online and through pandemic learning loss, two theories for why high school seniors’ reading scores are at their lowest in two decades, according to The National Assessment of Educational Progress. But these incoming college students may have been reading and writing, especially through social media, more than previous generations, and time online need not be the enemy of learning; a 2025 meta-analysis of 33 studies by Feng Li and fellow researchers “found a medium positive correlation between students’ DL [Digital Literacy] and academic achievement.”
Today’s inquisitive student can access EXABYTES of data. How might we foster curiosity and help students build literacy, especially for online texts? We are all susceptible to the clickbait, outrage triggers, and “fake news” our screens keep serving us, so how can we better assess information and opinion, gauge authenticity, and take effective action?
Word teachers, let’s talk! MnWE provides a venue for such conversations.
We instructors model the habits we hope to nurture—thoughtful exchange and a willingness to change one’s mind. Conversation is not, however, a surefire tonic for painful divisions, as words may mislead, incite, and wound. They might also emerge earnestly from perspectives we don’t share. We rightly encourage students to seek many voices and thus counteract what Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED Talk calls “The Danger of a Single Story.” How do we weigh competing narratives? What competencies, such as cultural, scientific, or digital literacy, must we bring to assessing those diverse views? And what, exactly, is “authenticity” in different rhetorical contexts?
Online media may make such evaluations more complex, and not just due to AI and “deep fake” concerns. Social media gives individuals access to audiences like no previous communication channels and has challenged traditional markers of authority and expertise, for better and for worse. Our mediascape makes critical reading and viewing paramount even as preparation for these tasks shows signs of decline. Many of today’s incoming college students have grown up online and through pandemic learning loss, two theories for why high school seniors’ reading scores are at their lowest in two decades, according to The National Assessment of Educational Progress. But these incoming college students may have been reading and writing, especially through social media, more than previous generations, and time online need not be the enemy of learning; a 2025 meta-analysis of 33 studies by Feng Li and fellow researchers “found a medium positive correlation between students’ DL [Digital Literacy] and academic achievement.”
Today’s inquisitive student can access EXABYTES of data. How might we foster curiosity and help students build literacy, especially for online texts? We are all susceptible to the clickbait, outrage triggers, and “fake news” our screens keep serving us, so how can we better assess information and opinion, gauge authenticity, and take effective action?
Word teachers, let’s talk! MnWE provides a venue for such conversations.
- How do you understand this term “authenticity,” and how does that understanding infuse your teaching, tutoring, writing, etc.?
- What does it mean pedagogically to combine the words “digital” and “literacy”?
- What does it mean pedagogically to combine "authenticity" with "effective action"?
- 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 help us see differently about agency and authenticity?
- How can Writing Center tutors help writers grow in confidence?
- How can Librarians guide students through the swirl of information and opinions?
- What can English teachers learn from Reading and ESOL about empowering students?
- How might the lessons of trauma-based pedagogy inform our teaching?
- How might service learning, study abroad, or immigration studies help students develop broader perspectives and a sense of agency?
- How might educators guard against Artificial Intelligence to value human intelligence or incorporate AI to boost human potential?
- How might educators guard against false legal premises and actions that devalue human intelligence?
- How do we take care of ourselves so that we may bring energy, joy, and our best authentic selves to teaching?
Propose a Presentation for 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. 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. We encourage you to limit your presentation to your more important points, given not as a scholarly paper but rather as a discussion with scholarly friends.
Click here to Submit a Proposal.
The deadline is Monday, February 9.
For conference info, go to www.mnwe.org.
Questions? Contact [email protected].
Click here to Register for the Conference.
Click here to Submit a Proposal.
The deadline is Monday, February 9.
For conference info, go to www.mnwe.org.
Questions? Contact [email protected].
Click here to Register for the Conference.
Apply for a MnWE Grant
If you need help with registration/travel/lodging expenses, apply for a MnWE Grant. Grants are available for full-time graduate or undergraduate students and part-time faculty. Preference will be given to first-time MnWE presenters and those who have not previously received a MnWE grant.