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What are English Conversation Circles? A few months ago, I had no idea, but when I started working at the Writing and Communication Centre (WCC) one of my roles was to facilitate the English Conversation Circles (ECC) program. I assumed ECC would be a program that Individuals used to strengthen their English conversation skills, and I was excited to be a part of this support team. Once I started working on the program, I learned quickly that ECC is a support system for international students here at UW.

So, you’re looking for ways to stay connected with the student community while getting schoolwork done. Joining a writing group seems to be the best fit because it looks like fun and a great way to meet others in university. But what exactly are writing groups and are there any benefits to being part of one?

Blog banner with blog title and photo of the original quilt wall

Picture this. The year is 2018 and you’re walking up the stairs to the second floor of South Campus Hall. You grab some food from Southside Marketplace and head over to sit in Velocity. That’s when you see it…

A wall - full of colours and messages.

You ask yourself, “what is all this?...”

On June 8th 2018, while most people were sitting outside enjoying the weather Nadine Fladd, one of our Writing and Multimodal Communication Specialists, was 326 ft above ground rappelling down Toronto’s city hall.

group picture of the writing and communication center staff

Last week, we celebrated John Vardon who has made a tremendous impact in his 40+ years working as a Writing and Multimodal Communication Specialist at the Writing and Communication Centre. As John retires and starts a new adventure in doing so, we look back at his time spent here.

Writing and Communication Centre in a quilt

Quilting, an excellent metaphor for community, assembles pieces to form a whole. Quilting is also an excellent metaphor for the recursive writing process: prewriting, drafting, editing, and publishing.

Throughout the year – September 2017 to August 2018, contribute a piece of yourself by adding to this living quilt.

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Breaking Assumptions: What I Learned About ECC From Being a Facilitator

How to get the most out of your undergrad writing groups

Our common thread: How a year of written messages connected our campus

Rappelling down city hall for a good cause

A new chapter

A Year in Writing: Piecing Together Writing, Art, Conversations, and Narratives through Quilting

University of Waterloo | Writing and Communication Centre

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