Hello guests!

My name is Katie O. I am a senior studying history and I am proud to say that I have been a tutor at the UCWbL for two years. I am also a Writing Fellow, and a member of the Outreach Team. The reason I am so involved at the UCWbL is because of all the opportunities I have to learn and share knowledge.

I have been welcomed at the UCWbL because of my unique perspective. Every tutor, writer, and staff member at the UCWbL add their unique perspective to the culture of the UCWbL. People do not come to just fill in a function. The UCWbL is not a machine, but rather a community in flux. The atmosphere is dependent on which tutors and writers are in the center at the time. This culture reminds me of the philosophy motivating many of the artists during the Romantic period. These writers, painters, and musicians saw each individual as a unique addition to the world. They saw that society was always growing. The generation before had quite an opposite perspective. The generation before, called the Enlighted period, viewed humans in the world as serving a specific function in society. Their perspective of society was machine-like. This perspective changed during the Romantic period. Artists did not see humans as being meant to fill in a function of a mechanic world. It is this perspective that I take for the culture of the writing center. Each person that comes in is welcome to add whatever their unique perspective is. The knowledge they share with me impacts my practices, and their perspective helps me grow as a tutor.

It is hard to determine what exactly these painting are representing until you take a step back. Often what people interpret of a piece of Romantic art is a product of their own unique perspective. This is just like the writing process. We sometimes have to take a step away from what we are focusing on to see the greater purpose, or meaning of our writing. When we do take a step back, people often interpret the writing in different ways, which offers the opportunity for great discussion and growth.  

As you browse you will notice that it is devoted to narrating my growth as a peer writing tutor, and as a writer in turn. What I am particularly excited about is the future of this portfolio. When you visit again, I am certain that you will observe my growth as a tutor.  

Browse as you please, 

Katie O.  

"Writing is the only magic I still believe in"

In this Ted Talk, Jared McGinnis brings to light how not only the process of being inspired to write is magic. Additionally, the profound effect words have on readers is in itself another kind of magic; producing emotions translatable across all languages. Enjoy!