Moving Sooners, Moving Planet

Join the Norman community as we take a walk across campus on September 24, 2011 in an effort to help the world "move beyond fossil fuels." The event will be a family-friendly activity to build awareness for the day-to-day possibilities without fossil fuel dependency. So come on foot, bike, board, or skates and join the worldwide "Moving Planet" event. Saturday 24, 2011; 10 am - 12 noon. For more information, visit moving-planet.org.

Waffles for Writers, This Wednesday!

Don't forget, tomorrow is the kick-off Waffles for Writers. It's the third Wednesday of each month, and I know tomorrow is going to be a big one. So come grab a bite to eat and work on your projects while you're here. Waffles will be served from 9 - 12 noon, so come for breakfast and stay for lunch (hey, waffles are nutritious, right?).

Calling Graduate Student Writers: Don't bowl (or write) alone

There's something about our concepts of success and writing that seem to encourage us to go it alone. We struggle in front of the flickering blank screens of our computers (writers block, anyone?) or meticulously scrub every inch of our bathrooms (procrastination at its best), hoping for a breakthrough or an escape. We think of writing as a romantically individual activity ... or maybe a painful one.

In Bowling Alone, Robert Putnam explores the eroding social ties and interactions amongst people in the United States. While he makes connections with civic and political engagement, I wonder if there might be a connection for academic writers. When we strike out on our own as writers, disconnected from others, we lose out on the support, accountability and feedback that could help us to break out of unhelpful patterns of working and thinking. Even more, we could be losing out on connections with others that result in new insights or scholarly collaborations. Think about it. Maybe we need to build our social capital as writers, as well as citizens and thinkers.

I've participated in a number of writing groups over the years. Each worked differently based on the shared goals of those involved. In every case, though, I saved time and energy, gained momentum, learned about resources, and benefited from the accountability that the groups offered. In some cases I even met people who became collaborators or mentors. I became not only a better writer, but a better scholar and collaborator.

I encourage you to consider joining a writing group. You can check out the Writing Groups page of our website for information on the groups that are currently meeting. And if you're a graduate student interested in joining a group of other graduate students, please fill out this quick questionnaire so that we can connect you with others.

There's no sense writing alone when you could join a league. Who knows, you might even get a cool shirt and few good drinks out of it.

Post by Moira Ozias, Associate Director, OU Writing Center
Member of the Breakfast of Champions and the As-Yet-Unnamed Thursday faculty writing groups

Retool and Reframe Your Resume

Are you headed back to the job market, changing careers or looking for a first job? Whatever your situation, if you're interested in retooling and reframing your resumé, please join us this Thursday evening at the Norman Public Library. Moira Ozias (OU Writing Center) and Jerry Stinnett (OU English Department) will lead a resume writing workshop on September 15 from 6-7 pm in the Norman Public Library's Computer Training Center.

Moira and Jerry will describe various strategies for highlighting your skills and accomplishments, capitalizing on your strengths, and effectively focusing resumé content toward position descriptions. You can bring current resumés to the workshop or bring ideas and create a resumé from scratch. You'll have opportunity to work in small groups with facilitators and can expect to leave with concrete ideas for strengthening your resumé, as well as helpful resources for writing future resumés.

The workshop is free and open to the public. For information on registration and attendance, you can visit this site.

Librarian on Location: Wednesdays, 1-3 pm

The semester is in full swing, and the Writing Center is definitely in on the action. As you are working on your upcoming papers, consider coming by to see us in the coming days. We will even have a Librarian on Location as an extra resource. On Wednesdays, Librarian Karen Antell will be at the Wagner Hall Writing Center location from 1 - 3 pm. So come by to get assistance with locating, analyzing, and using the library's resources for your projects. And stick around to work on your own or with a writing consultant.

Open in the Evening

The Writing Center is now open evenings! For up-to-the minute information about our locations and hours, check out the calendar on our homepage or click here. You can now find our consultants at the Cate Center from 4-8 pm on Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays (excluding holidays). You can also drop by our Wagner Hall location until 8 pm on Tuesdays.

And if you can't make it to one of our face-to-face locations, remember that you can also send us your writing through the web (click here). One of our consultants will email you feedback within two business days.

We look forward talking with you about your writing.

Open Mic with Lauren Zuniga

The OU Write Club invites you to join them for their first open mic reading of the semester. Tonight's featured reader is Lauren Zuniga, locally and nationally known performance poet and teaching artist. As Rachel McKibbens, winner of the 2009 Women of the World Poetry Slam has said, "Her poems are massive; brimming with the wit, heart and humanness we all crave from our leaders. Unlike so many artists, she understands her purpose. She puts her life on the line. Her poems are the quiet protesters whose existence is proof that the world can, in fact, be fixed. Think of the photograph of the man standing before a line of tanks in Tiananmen Square, and you'll get an idea of what Zuniga's poetry is willing to do for you."

Please bring yourself, your poetry, your fiction, or just your desire to be moved by words. We'll see you at Cafe Plaid tonight.

Write Club Open Mic Reading
with featured reader Lauren Zuniga
7-9 pm
Cafe Plaid

For a taste:


Experience more of Lauren's poetry at http://laurenzuniga.com/poems.