Our monthly newsletter keeps instructors across campus informed about Writing Studio services, events, and resources both for their students and for instructors themselves.

Dear colleagues,

Last month I announced our new neurodiversity-focused writing support offering, an exciting new direction for the Writing Studio’s services. This month I have the past, present, and future of the Writing Studio on my mind as I share that in 2025–2026 the Writing Studio is marking its 20th anniversary.

Founded in fall 2005, the Writing Studio held its first appointments in spring 2006. Fittingly, then, in spring 2026 we will celebrate this important milestone with a 20th anniversary reception on Friday, February 13, from 3:00–5:00 p.m. in Alumni Hall, our original campus home from 2005 to 2015.

We look forward to the reception as a chance to bring together the campus community — including faculty, who have always been vital partners in our mission — to celebrate 20 years of the Writing Studio’s impact at Vanderbilt, during which we will also make space for the voices of and testimonials from those not able to attend.

For now we hope you will save the date. Expect more to come in this space inviting you to celebrate with us, whether in person in February or by a short asynchronous contribution helping us commemorate the occasion.  

Thank you! Know that you continue to be a pivotal part of the Writing Studio’s ongoing work anytime you recommend our services to your students, invite us into your classroom for a brief introduction to our services or a full in-class writing workshop, or reach out to me and my colleagues, whether about ways we can support you and your students or with your questions, suggestions, and feedback.

John Bradley

Director, Writing Studio and Tutoring Services

john.bradley@vanderbilt.edu

The semester's under way, and your syllabus is set. But if you can still spare 5–10 minutes to let your students know about our services, consider scheduling a brief introduction today!

Our ten-minute introductory presentations offer all the essential details about the Writing Studio and help reassure students that friendly faces are here to help them. High impact for the class time required!

Writing consultants are available to lead workshops on specific elements of the academic writing process. Our standard workshops cover a variety of essential topics:

We can also work with you to develop a workshop tailored to your course's specific needs. Past custom topics have included case studies, literature reviews, podcasts, op-eds, and more.

The Writing Studio’s full-time academic staff are available to discuss writing pedagogy: syllabus construction and development, writing assignment design, resources for student writing support, and more.

To schedule an appointment, please contact our Administrative Specialist by emailing writing.studio@vanderbilt.edu.

We are excited to continue the Core Studio Workshops, our new weekly writing workshop series geared toward first-year undergraduates, with a workshop on effectively incorporating feedback.

The workshops are open to all undergraduates, but, as their name implies, we are designing them for first-year undergraduates and specifically with students in the new A&S First-Year Core in mind.

Whatever you are teaching, if you think your students would benefit, please feel free to share the following information with them:

Join us for our third topic in the new Core Studio Workshop series: “Using Your Professor's Feedback” (Oct. 13–20)

 In our one-hour session, we’ll chat about the different types of writing feedback, practical tips for moving from feedback to actionable changes in your document, and how to balance your voice with your professor’s expectations. We will then have free time to talk about whatever writing projects are currently on your desk. All Vanderbilt students are welcome to attend!

RSVP via Anchor Link or just come by.

“Community is so important for writing. We tend to think about writing as a solitary activity, but it's so much better together!"

-Fall '25 Dissertation Writers' Retreat participant

With the generous support of the Graduate College, the College of Arts and Science Dean’s Office, and the BRET Office of Career Development ASPIRE Program, the Writing Studio once again hosted a two-day retreat for dissertating writers over the recent fall break (Oct. 9–10, 2025).

The first of our three-part series, this year's fall Dissertation Writers' Retreat brought together thirty students from seventeen programs, ranging from Anthropology to Civil Engineering, Epidemiology, and History. Practically every horizontal surface in our office was occupied by a grad student putting a dent in a significant piece of scholarship over the retreat's two seven-hour days.

The Writing Studio is proud to offer this support to Vanderbilt’s graduate community. If you—or one of your graduate students—would like to participate, watch this space. Our next retreat will be held during spring break, and we’re eager to help you move your major projects forward!

The Writing Studio needs you! Students consistently report first hearing about the Writing Studio from their professors and TAs.

Subscribe to our monthly MyEmma newsletter today to keep the Writing Studio in mind and, as a result, on your students’ minds, as well.

The Writing Studio is also here for you, too! With highlights of our various resources for instructors, let our newsletter provide the right reminder at the right time as you prepare for next semester or that next writing assignment.

Finally, of course, our monthly newsletter will keep you in the loop about events and opportunities like our Undergraduate Writing Symposium, our Dissertation Writers' Retreat series, the Morgan Award for First-Year Writers, and more.

To subscribe, use the button above or paste the link below into your browser:

https://signup.e2ma.net/signup/2015618/1981278/

Curb Center building (1801 Edgehill Ave.), Suite 112

writing.studio@vanderbilt.edu

615-343-2225