<div dir="ltr"><br><div>Our ATTW 2022 Conference Co-Chairs, <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt">Drs. Jennifer Sano-Franchini, Kristen Moore, and Donnie J. Sackey, invite you to propose action-oriented workshops and activities for our virtual conference! #ATTW22</span></div><div><p class="gmail-MsoTitle" align="center" style="margin:0in;text-align:center;line-height:115%;break-after:avoid;font-size:26pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><a name="_ibnpdsfqdp3u"></a><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:14pt;line-height:115%">Taking Action: Reimagining Just
Futures in Technical Communication</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;margin:0in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><b><span lang="EN">2022 ATTW VIRTUAL CONFERENCE, JUNE 20–30</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;margin:0in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><b><span lang="EN"> </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 1.5in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span lang="EN">”<span style="color:rgb(26,26,26);background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">The just use of
imagination is not just conceptual. It must be enacted. Without this enactment,
a re-envisioning is relegated to the realm of fiction and future. The just use
of imagination is applicable (in that it must be applied) and employed in our
current realities in service of justice and equality RIGHT NOW, not later.” </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 1.5in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span lang="EN" style="color:rgb(26,26,26);background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial"> —Jones
& Williams, 2020</span><b><span lang="EN"></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span lang="EN"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span lang="EN">We’re changing things up! </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span lang="EN"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span lang="EN">Forget what you thought you knew about
conferences. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span lang="EN"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span lang="EN">We’re not doing panels upon panels of papers
and presentations read aloud. These presentations have their uses and their
value, but this year, we’re trying something different. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span lang="EN"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span lang="EN">We all know it’s 2022, and we are a far cry
away from business-as-usual. We’re tired. Dealing with life during a pandemic
that has exacerbated existing inequities, ongoing anti-Blackness and white
supremacy, constant reports of anti-Asian hate, while seeing the day-to-day
effects of climate change is No. Effing. Joke. How are we supposed to teach,
mentor, caretake, research, write, and conference during these times? Or, what
*could* conferencing look like in 2022?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span lang="EN"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span lang="EN">We’ll cut to the chase. We’ve heard a lot of
words. We’ve seen the statements affirming that Black Lives Matter put out by
institutions that have done nothing else to change their white supremacist and
anti-Black practices. Lip service is easy. Over the past couple of years, ATTW
leadership and members have sent out several calls to action, urging that
members of our professional and intellectual community take active steps <a href="https://attw.org/blog/attw-presidents-call-to-action/">to redress anti-Blackness and white supremacy</a>,
<a href="https://attw.org/blog/attw-statement-against-anti-asian-racism-and-call-to-action/">to challenge anti-Asian racism</a>,<a href="https://attw.org/blog/the-just-use-of-imagination-a-call-to-action/"> reimagine justice</a>, and <a href="https://cccc.ncte.org/cccc/black-technical-professional-communication">attend to issues of inclusivity</a>. We want to
see more action--<b>thoughtful, critical action
toward just futures in tech comm. </b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span lang="EN"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span lang="EN">Indeed, this means the 2022 ATTW Virtual
Conference, scheduled for June 20–30, is going to be action-oriented. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span lang="EN"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span lang="EN">For technical communicators invested in
change-making, the current structures for gathering (e.g. traditional
conferences) are limited in their potential to enact change across the field,
our communities, and the world. Rather than stand-and-deliver opportunities, <b>we change makers</b> require spaces to
build coalitions, to conduct meaningful research, to analyze mounds of data,
and to make meaning. Structured by a series of interactive workshops (invited
and proposed) and events over the course of two weeks, we are working to build
spaces where participants can take action to build capacity, construct connections,
and create new systems, assignments, and practices. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span lang="EN"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span lang="EN">We’re also going to take action to reflect on
what conferences are for, why we attend them, and what, in the best
circumstances, we hope to get from them. We’re going to ask ourselves: What
would a participant-centered—and not just speaking-role centered—conference
experience look like? And how can we learn from the brilliance of our
predecessors as we try to adapt what we’ve known and what we’ve done for an
unprecedented context?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span lang="EN"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span lang="EN">To that end, we invite proposals for <b><i>action-oriented
workshops and activities</i></b> (up to 90-minutes each) that help us
re-imagine what conferences can and should be. Proposals can be for individual
or collaborative workshops, makerspace sessions, publication development workshops,
project ideation spaces, feedback sessions, and more. The focus of these
proposals should be on <i>doing</i>, not
simply sharing out research. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span lang="EN"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span lang="EN">Here are some ways you can re-imagine your
presentation/panel as an action-oriented space:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 0.5in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span lang="EN">●<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span lang="EN">Proposing a capacity-building
workshop for scholars who are new to tech comm and interested in social
justice. How do we build capacities as social justice-oriented technical
communicators?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 0.5in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span lang="EN">●<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span lang="EN">Proposing a grant writing workshop
based on technical communication and your specific areas of expertise. How can
we encourage collaboration in grant proposals across institutions and areas?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 0.5in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span lang="EN">●<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span lang="EN">Proposing an ideation space where
early-career scholars work on articles, dissertation proposals, and more. What
can you share to help amplify another scholar’s work?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 0.5in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span lang="EN">●<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span lang="EN">Proposing a feedback session. Do
you need space to workshop a work-in-progress and are you looking to share your
ideas for other scholar’s to help develop their work?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 0.5in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span lang="EN">●<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span lang="EN">Proposing a pedagogy workshop. Can
you offer scholars practical, pedagogical advice for course design and
assignment creation and then help them to begin to implement their ideas?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 0.5in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span lang="EN">●<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span lang="EN">Proposing a session on revising a
TPC program in order to center inclusion and justice. Do you have expertise
that you can share for program administrators looking to make social justice
and equity a focus?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 0.5in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span lang="EN">●<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span lang="EN">Proposing a session that helps
identify current opportunities and approaches for solving wicked problems. How
can we, as technical communicators, work to address wicked problems like mass
incarceration, climate change, COVID impacts, or access and inclusion? </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span lang="EN"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span lang="EN">Of course, these are just a small set of
ideas, and we welcome your innovation. Some workshops might result in
deliverables like collaborative publications, projects, or funding proposals.
Some workshops may serve the purpose of creating cross-institutional,
action-oriented coalitions developed to focus on problems or opportunities in
our field. Some workshops may send participants away with fresh insights that
they can apply to localized contexts. Either way, our hope is that participants
can use our time together to improve our infrastructure and resources in
support of our commitments to social justice. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span lang="EN"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span lang="EN">We have a lot planned and will be rolling out
more information about invited speakers, pre-planned workshops, and other ways
to engage during the conference. Stay tuned for social media updates and for
more ways to collaborate about ideas. We encourage you to participate in the
way that works best for you, your schedule, and your mental health. Finally, we
invite you to shape this conference to your needs.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span lang="EN"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span lang="EN">Please send a proposal of no more than 500
words to ATTW 2022 Conference Chairs, Drs. Jennifer Sano-Franchini, Donnie
Johnson Sackey, and Kristen Moore at <a href="mailto:attwcon@gmail.com">attwcon22@gmail.com</a> by <b>Monday, March 7th</b>. Proposals should include the goals, planned
activities, and any potential deliverables or outcomes, as well as a schedule
outlining how you will use up to 90-minutes of allotted time. Notifications
will be sent back to participants by March 21st. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span lang="EN"> </span></p>
<span lang="EN" style="font-size:11pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">All proposals will be peer-reviewed, and the
conference co-chairs will be available to work with accepted participants to
envision their participation in the virtual conference. We may ask participants
to combine sessions, reimagine their proposals, and collaborate with others to
ensure that we have a conference schedule that is productive and mindful of our
current pandemic realities.</span><br></div></div>