Welcome!
The University of Virginia is in the midst of a long-term project to “cultivate and sustain a culture of writing” across its Grounds. And even as we celebrate this opportunity to develop our writing activity, we are keenly aware that this university has existed for more than 200 years, and that writing has founded and guided our identity throughout all that time.
In Spring 2021, therefore, our class began a project of our own: to investigate, what IS the “culture of writing” at UVA? What has writing looked like historically here? What kinds of writing are people doing here now? We spent months conducting research: We interviewed 15 people in various roles across Grounds; we conducted surveys and gathered data; we physically explored Grounds to observe writing in action; we worked with Special Collections to study work from the past. In Fall 2021 and Spring 2022, additional groups of students continued this project with more work in Special Collections, more interviews, and gathering writing samples from students across disciplines. In each semester, we wrote papers considering writing at UVA from different angles, putting pieces and people in conversation with one another. Throughout, we worked to identify and articulate what defines the “culture of writing at UVA.”
We’re still putting the pieces together. UVA was founded with high ideals and ambitions that we’re still working to live into. Our history shows our great triumphs and our undeniable moral failures. Our culture of writing seems marked by our idealism, our shared sense of responsibility beyond ourselves, and a joyous blend of dignity and raucous good humor. Yet the full story is complex, and even after months of collaborative work, we are well aware that we are working on a small piece of a large narrative. The work continues. We hope you enjoy exploring what we’ve found so far, and what we’ve added.
“What can we learn about UVA from studying the writing created here?”
“What’s it like to write here?”
COMING SOON: Misc. UVA students discussing/reading their writing
COMING SOON: Faculty talking about writing at UVA
COMING SOON: Our class members, reading excerpts of their projects
Keep exploring!
You can see examples of writing past and present, and hear more from the people who do the writing, in the pages below.
