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SWCA CONFERENCE

We held our 2023 SWCA conference in Memphis, TN, exploring how to navigate change from the perspectives of over 200 students, faculty, staff, and writing professionals. 

We look forward to the 2024 SWCA conference, which will be hosted by Emory University in Atlanta, GA. Details will be posted closer to the conference date and in time for submitting conference proposals in fall 2023.

Pictures from the 2023 Conference

2023 Conference Details

Check out the Call for Proposals

On-Time Registration Costs

  • Professional Member - 160.00
  • Professional Non-Member - 190.00
  • Student Member - 110.00
  • Student Non-Member - 125.00

Late Registration Costs

Registration after Jan 11 will be considered late and will incur additional fees. Registration will remain open until and during the conference.

  • Professional Member LATE - 195.00
  • Professional Non-member LATE - 225.00
  • Student Member LATE - 145.00
  • Student Non Member LATE - 160.00

Note: Scholarships are available from the SWCA for students and professionals presenting at the conference.

Note: All consultants from a center that has an active institutional SWCA membership can register at the member price if you have the registration code. Ask your director for the code and they can provide it, or they can contact swca.dcd@gmail.com to get it.

Hotel

The conference is being held in Memphis, Tennessee, at the Guesthouse at Graceland.

  • The conference room rate is $149.00 per night (plus taxes).
  • Discounted Parking $7.00 for self-parking and $16.00 for valet 
  • Resort fee has been waived for us.

Make Guesthouse Reservations at Conference Rate

ALternate Hotels

If the conference hotel rooms are full, you might consider the following hotels, or use this Google Maps search for hotels near the Guest House:

La Quinta Inn and Suites by Wyndham Memphis Airport

  • Price per night: $89
  • Distance from Guest House: 1.6 miles
  • Phone #: (901) 791-9200
  • Rating: 3.5 stars

Courtyard by Marriott Memphis Airport

  • Price per night: $107
  • Distance from Guest House: 2.0 miles
  • Phone #: (901) 396-3600
  • Rating: 4.0 stars

Holiday Inn Express and Suites Memphis Airport

  • Price per night: $103
  • Distance from Guest House: 0.5 miles
  • Phone #: (901) 345-8800
  • Rating: 4.0 stars

Quality Inn Airport I-240

  • Price per night: $77
  • Distance from Guest House: 1.4 miles
  • Phone #: (901) 312-7000
  • Rating: 3.8 stars

Transportation

Airport Shuttle.  The Guesthouse offers a free shuttle to the hotel.  Visit here for details on how to secure the shuttle after you have landed  No advanced reservations are required.  Once the Guesthouse receives your shuttle request, give the driver 15-25 minutes to arrive. Enter the blue shuttle with an image of Elvis on the side of the bus. 

You can find out other information about Memphis transportation at this site.  Here are a couple of things to keep in mind:

  • Unfortunately, the bus system is not the most reliable source of transportation in Memphis.  If you use this option, you can plan on it taking more time than indicated on the MATA site.  Hiring an Uber or Lyft is probably a better choice.

  • Once Downtown, the trolley is great! Downtown Memphis offers an authentic vintage trolley that can take you to most all Downtown attractions, including restaurants and a variety of interesting locations. The trolley is inexpensive: $1.00 per ride or $2.00 for a day pass.  Read more about how to manage the trolley hereImportant: The trolley does not make change, so make sure you have several $1.00 bills handy when you board.

This site details Memphis transportation as it relates to our more popular attractions. 

The online schedule is available at http://swca2023.com

Thursday, Feb. 9

  • 8:00 am-4:00 pm: Registration and Information
  • 8:00-8:50 Concurrent sessions A
  • 9:00-9:50 Concurrent sessions B
  • 10-10:50 Coffee Break
  • 11:00-11:50 Concurrent sessions C
  • 12:00-2:00: lunch on your own
  • 2:00-2:50 Concurrent sessions D
  • 3:00-3:50 Concurrent sessions E
  • 4:00-6:00 Opening Reception

Friday, Feb. 10

  • 8:00 am-4:00 pm: Registration and Information
  • 8:00-8:50 Concurrent sessions F
  • 9:00-9:50 Concurrent sessions G
  • 10:00-10:50 Concurrent sessions H
  • 11:00-1:00 Keynote and awards lunch
  • 2:00-2:50 Concurrent sessions I
  • 3:00-3:50 State Network Meetings
  • 4:00-6:00 Grad Student Mixer

Saturday, Feb. 11

  • 8:00-1:00 Registration and Information
  • 8:00-8:50 Concurrent Sessions J
  • 9:00-9:50 Concurrent Sessions K
  • 10:00-10:50 Coffee Break
  • 9:00-11:00 Board Meeting
  • 11:00-11:50 Concurrent Sessions L
  • 12:00-12:50 Concurrent Session M

TITLE: “whose grammar are you hoping I’m teaching?”: Tools of Linguistic Justice and How We Can Use Them, An Offering

SPEAKER: Tawny LeBouef Tullia, Ph.D.

ABSTRACT: What rules do you want us to use as we draft and revise here? What tone are you using in this text? Is it playful? Is it serious? Must it be? Who is your audience and how do you want to address them?

Questions that do not assume an answer or even a list of possible answers. Because I do not know the answer. Simple. Also complex. These questions are targeted toward a foundation of white supremacist heteronormative linguistic practices and from linguistic assumptions, a violence carried by normalized rules that assume one rule of a language. bell hooks wrote, “Our visions of tomorrow are most vital when they emerge from the concrete circumstances of change we are experiencing right now.” During this address, I will consider the separate parts of a grammar and will apply a practice of radical interconnectedness that helps us to crack those assumptions open and then to develop linguistic justice in various forms with our students, our clients, writers, our colleagues, and with ourselves.

BIO: Dr. Tawny LeBouef Tullia (she/her/hers) currently serves as the Dean for the Rosa Deal School of Arts at Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tennessee. Previous to that appointment, Tullia served as the Writing Program Administrator. In that role, she collaborated with colleagues to re-write and re-vision what a First-year Writing Program needed to be to serve the students entering their educations at CBU. That Program now includes courses that better support the needs of new-to-university writers, multi-lingual learners, and includes a choice-based and multiple measures placement protocol.

Tullia teaches courses on rhetoric, gender, and race; rhetorical theory; and organizes application courses around community-engaged learning. Tullia’s research focuses on sport and rhetoric at the intersections of race and gender, as well as building community in classroom and professional spaces, using antiracist practices and a commitment toward Beloved Community. Dr. Tullia has published work on the importance of authenticity and building community in the classroom. That work appears in the volume On Teacher Neutrality: Politics, Praxis, Performativity, published by Utah State University Press. The chapter titled “Turning Resistances into Engagement” was written collaboratively with Dr. Erika Johnson.

Technology Information

Breakout rooms (except ones used for SIGs) are equipped with projection monitors and have HDMI connections. If you are a Mac user, be sure to bring an HDMI adapter. Individual speakers presenting on slides may want to bring a flash drive to access material so you and your fellow presenters have the option of using a single laptop for your session.

Local Points of Interest

Click on the map icons or use the links below to view information about some of the conference staff's favorite Memphis locations.

Current Memphis Weather

Weather Data Source: 7 day weather forecast Memphis

Sites with Conference Staff Video Introductions (linked on map below)

Other Noteworthy Sites of Interest

  • Graceland https://www.graceland.com - Next door to the Guest House, the home of Elvis.  You get a discount as a Guest House guest. 
  • Civil Rights Museumhttps://www.civilrightsmuseum.org/ - Explore Civil Rights history at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis!, and learn about past and current avenues toward social activism.
  • Peabody Hotelhttps://www.peabodymemphis.com/ - Visit one of America’s historical, luxury hotels and see the famed “Peabody Ducks” swim in the fountain in the lobby.
  • Pink Palace (Memphis Museum of Science and History) - https://moshmemphis.com/ - Tour this mansion-turned-museum filled with interactive stations, I-MAX theaters, and artifacts, and peruse the gift shop
  • Bass Pro Shop/The Pyramid -https://stores.basspro.com/us/tn/memphis/1-bass-pro-dr.html - Satisfy your outdoor recreational needs and curiosity by seeing the store’s merchandise, dining in the Fishbowl and standing at the top of the pyramid.  It’s a great view of the city.
  • Crosstown Concourse Buildinghttps://crosstownconcourse.com/ - Visit our former Sears tower that has been renovated as a wonderful all-inclusive hipster community.  View the art galleries, participate in creating art at the Crosstown Arts Shared Art Making lab and listen to music in Memphis Listening Lab.  There’s also some amazing restaurants at Crosstown.
  • Mud Islandhttps://www.memphisriverparks.org/parks/mud-island/ - Visit the Mississippi River Museum, The Mud Island Amphitheater and splash in the waters of the Mud Island River Park (if it’s not too cold).


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