Writing instructors have created a strong presence on the Internet. Here is a small selection of the resources available; follow cross-links to find more.

Professional Organizations: Conferences, Publications, and Discussion Lists

See also the Teaching Writing / Conferences page on this site for current calls for proposals. 

• CASDW (Canadian Association for the Study of Discourse and Writing (formerly CATTW): This bilingual Canadian organization focusses on research and practice concerning the postsecondary teaching of writing and the study of discourse. Its annual conference is held as part of the Congress of Humanities and Social Sciences. CASDW publishes a peer-reviewed journal, formerly Technostyle and now The Canadian Journal for Studies in Discourse and Writing. The listserv gives useful information about other conferences and disseminates relevant job postings.
• CASLL (Canadian Association for the Study of Language and Learning): This group of Canadian writing instructors, better known as Inkshed, discusses the intersections among teaching and learning, writing and reading, theory and practice, Its nickname refers to the writing and exhanging of brief reflective notes at conferences and sometimes in the classroom. In January 2012, it opened a newsletter website offering both blog postings and longer articles. Past newsletters are a valuable historical resource; they are available online. CASLL also sponsors a small publishing house that produces works relevant to postsecondary teaching. The This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (CASLL-L) posts job and conference notices, and houses discussions of issues in teaching and administration. Subscribe by sending a message to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it saying “subscribe CASLL-L [your name].” All messages after 1995 are archived and searchable
• CSSR (Canadian Society for the Study of Rhetoric): This organization focusses on scholarship about classical and traditional rhetoric. It often combines conference sessions with CASDW.
• CWCA (Canadian Writing Centres Association): This new organization meets as part of the STLHE conference; its listserv is an active source of advice and information about writing-centre management. Join the listserv to be linked to about 80 writing administrators from both colleges and universities across Canada. A new Community of Practice site offers the chance to read and contribute to postings on effective practices and teaching resources. 
• CCCC (Conference on College Composition and Communication): Think of CCCC if you want to attend a huge and stimulating yearly US conference, consider this organization, Calls for proposals are due in April each year; conferences are held in March. The Canadian caucus at this conference is an excellent place to meet colleagues, and the book fair is another attraction. The parent body is the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), which sponsors a large publishing house and a good online blog by Traci Gardner about current political and pedagogical issues in teaching writing.
• IWCA (International Writing Centers Association): Information and resources from US and some Canadian university writing centres; includes notes on conferences and links to hundreds of online handouts.
• LSAC (Learning Specialists Association of Canada), formerly LASSA: This inclusive group holds a single-day gathering of Eastern members each December at a University of Toronto location. It also sponsors an email announcement list. 
• STLHE (Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education): This large Canadian association holds stimulating yearly conferences that include attention to writing: check for information and calls for proposals. (The 2009 conference was held in Fredericton NB; the next one will be at Ryerson and OCAD in Toronto in June 2010. Watch for the Call for Papers. STLHE also publishes a series of books on teaching issues, and a newsletter.
• WPA (Council of Writing Program Administrators): A very active group of program leaders that sponsors stimulating listserv discussions of policy issues and issues thoughtful public statements. It publishes a high-quality peer-reviewed journal (archived online), meets as a caucus at CCCC conferences, and holds a yearly summer symposium. 

Research Starting Points

• The Bedford Bibliography for Teachers of Writing, 6th ed., 2003
  An online searchable bibliography of books and articles covering various types of writing instruction; useful annotations.
• Bibliographies for Composition and Rhetoric
  Rebecca Moore Howard of Syracuse University maintains this amazingly detailed and current set of bibliographies for her graduate teaching and her own scholarship on reading-writing interconnections.
• CompPile
  Sponsored and well-maintained by WPA (above, a searchable inventory of US research on postsecondary writing studies from 1939 to the present, well-categorized and indexed.It also cross-links to other American and European professional association and to selected ongoing research projects. 
• WAC Clearinghouse
  This rich site offers free access to several key books (including Bazerman, below), four online journals, various research bibliographies, and pages on specific issues such as the use of Writing Fellows. Though all references are to US practice, this site is a key resource.

A Few Online Readings

• Antipedantry page
  Singular their in Jane Austen and elsewhere. This amusing page shows how often Austen and other writers break the "rules" of Standard English usage.
• Aristotle's Rhetoric
  An English translation of this seminal text for writing studies, including Rhys Roberts's helpful chapter summaries and a bibliography of commentaries.
• Charles Bazerman, Shaping Written Knowledge: The Genre and Activity of the Experimental Article in Science
  Just one of the finds on the WAC Clearinghouse site: a free online copy of this important book. See others listed at the page Electronic Books.
• Linguistic Funland TESL Page
  These lively and well-organized pages, with links contributed by practitioners, will inform you and your students about resources in ESL teaching and learning.
• "Writing-Intensive": An Explanation (Simon Fraser University)
  A clear and detailed definition of the "W" designation in the 2004 SFU curriculum. The examples show adaptations for various disciplines.