A Letter from the Faculty Mentors and Student Editor
Writing Moves is a journal curated to display and celebrate the writing abilities of students at Wake Forest and may be used pedagogically to exemplify the critical and creative thinking desired within the Writing Program. These student writers, nominated by professors within the program, have been selected for their abilities to craft passionate, intriguing, and complex ideas into well-written essays that display strong rhetorical moves.
As the student editor, I am grateful for the knowledge I have acquired not simply in editorial tasks, but as a writer myself. Through working closely with the URECA faculty mentors and student writers, I have gained a greater appreciation for the transformative nature of writing when it is predicated on diverse, intentional perspective-taking. Just as I have gained different points of view through collaboration with my faculty mentors, these student essayists have created nuanced, informative, and generative texts through considering a multiplicity of views during the writing process. Although writers may be initially led by their own perspectives and positionality, proactive awareness of the views of others, through research, reflection, and analysis, provides these essays with a firm foundation for critical and innovative thinking.
However, no essay is written in a vacuum—the vision expressed in the professor’s prompt, the writer’s acknowledgement of the audience’s perspective, and the deep reflection of preconceived notions about the subject additionally contribute to a writer’s creation of a transformative piece. The editor is then tasked with taking these into consideration alongside her own perspective—this is a balancing act. I was pushed to identify where my own notions as a writer might suppress those of the student and developed a great respect for the uniqueness of each voice.
Consideration of multiple perspectives produces writing that may celebrate and speak to the diversity of humankind and of thought. This is expressed in a multitude of ways, as you will see displayed within Writing Moves. A counterargument, a personal anecdote, a scholarly quote, a well-placed description—all may contribute to produce insightful dialogue between multiple viewpoints. A writer may prompt readers to step outside of their own experiences —and when done well, the essay may move an audience to think, to advocate, and to grow.
This movement, transformation in perspective, and opportunity to grow was experienced with every essay I worked on for this journal. These writers, with their powerful, vulnerable, and intriguing pieces, write with voices that remain present, transfixed in the reader’s mind. I am incredibly grateful for the strength, diligence, and creativity of these student writers, and it is a blessing to share them with you through this journal.
Abby Vogeley, Student Editor
Elisabeth Whitehead, Faculty Mentor
Anne Boyle, Faculty Mentor