FYW Celebration of Writing
A Writers Faire Renaissance
In 2015, KU’s English Department hosted its first Writers Faire, where students showcased their writing from undergraduate English courses. The event has historically provided students with exciting opportunities to share their writing projects with a wider University audience.
Here is a video from the inaugural Writers Faire event in 2015:
From Writers Faire to the 2024 Celebration of Writing
This year, the KU English Department and First Year Writing program are resuming the Writers Faire under a new name: Celebration of Writing. The first since the Covid 19 pandemic, the Celebration of Writing embraces both its history and a new beginning.
When: Please join us on May 2, 2024 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Big 12 Room of the Kansas Union to celebrate the work of English students at KU as they share their writing projects, ideas, and passions!
Submissions Due Date: Submissions for showcasing your work this 2024 are due on April 1. For more information on how to submit, refer to the FAQ. Please email writersfaire@ku.edu with additional questions.
Student FAQ
If you have ever felt frustrated that your instructor is one of the few people that reads your work, this is a great opportunity to find a wider audience and show off the hard work you’ve done in class! It’s also a good idea to see what your peers in other classes are producing!
Any type of composition created in undergraduate English courses can be submitted! In the past, multimodal projects have been very successful. Engaging examples are videos, children’s books, fanfiction, websites, and audio projects. Students are also encouraged to present textual projects. They can get creative in presenting their textual work, e.g. with a poster or recording!
All undergraduate students can submit work from their English coursework (100 – 500 level). Students’ majors and years do not matter – we want to celebrate writing across the department!
Students can submit by filling out the following form: https://kusurvey.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eysmFDUoviaZSSO
We can provide laptops and headphones for use at the event for digital or multimodal projects. We also have poster board, foam board, and tri-fold presentation boards for displaying printed projects.
Students should bring their physical projects to the Celebration of Writing location (Big 12 Room in the Kansas Union) between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. Digital projects can be turned in electronically prior to the event. We encourage students and instructors to work together; students can use instructors as a resource to get access to provided presentation materials and to bring student projects to the Celebration. If unable to do so, students can make other arrangements by emailing writersfaire@ku.edu.
The Celebration of Writing creates an opportunity to engage with real audiences–to answer questions and practice professional presentation skills. Students are encouraged to accompany their projects at the event and to talk with visitors, even if just for part of the time (and with schedules permitting).
Instructors can encourage students to submit their work to the Celebration of Writing and help spread the word!
For students whose work is accepted, instructors can help students prepare their materials. Physical presentation materials for students (poster board, foam board, trifold presentation boards, etc.) are available in the English Suite (Wescoe 3001). Instructors can help students gather necessary materials.
We invite members of the Lawrence and KU community to attend the Celebration of Writing to support student work.
Community organizations can also indicate their interest in:
- Presenting or showcasing written work
- Advertising or helping get the word out
- Setting up an informational booth
- Sponsoring a booth or donating resources
To indicate your organization’s interest, you can fill out the following survey: https://kusurvey.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3y10S5foW5FeI6O