Writer’s Studio fosters undergraduate creativity, community

Writing needn’t always be a private activity for those looking to put pen to paper. 

The Writing Center debuted its Writer’s Studio — a quiet space where undergraduates can gather to work on writing as a communal activity — this semester. The studio occupies room 111 of the O’Hara Student Center between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., and tutors are available during that window to help with writing. 

According to Geeta Kothari, director of Pitt’s Writing Center, the public needs to change its perceptions on writing for the studio to flourish.

“People have to stop thinking of it as a solitary exercise, and that’s really hard, because there’s still the romantic notion of the writer and the garrett,” Kothari said. 

Kothari said the success of the center’s Graduate Dissertation Boot Camp sparked the idea to open the Writer’s Studio this semester. During a week-long camp offered three times a semester, graduate students expand, revise and seek advice on their writing. The center also offers a condensed, one-day version of the camp during the fall and spring semesters.

The Writer’s Studio could give undergraduates the same opportunity for devoted writing time that the center offered graduate students, Kothari said. 

Robert Stevens, a faculty tutor for the Writing Center, said the Writer’s Studio differs from the basic offerings of the Center.

“If a student just has a quick question about word choice, [they] can just stop in, get their answer and be on their way, where the Writing Center is more of a process,” Stevens said. 

According to Stevens, use of the Writer’s Studio by students has been slow so far, but he is hopeful that it will grow.

The Writer’s Studio offers at least one faculty tutor available at all times to answer any questions a student might have during the writing process. According to Stevens, the Writing Center plans to provide the studio as an additional resource that doesn’t require a 25-minute appointment, as the center does. 

Stevens hopes the new service will prevent undergraduates from “binge writing,” or writing an essay all in one sitting, which is something he has found many of his students do. 

“We hope we can help students schedule writing and complete an assignment,” Stevens said. “I think something like this will help them to space out their writing.”

Kothari added that the Writer’s Studio is meant to be quieter than Hillman Library, which can be very conducive to getting work done. 

Joyce Lin, a junior accounting major, said she prefers to write alone, but recognizes the advantages of writing as a community. 

 “I think in a community, and [when] people write together, you could generate an idea that you might never have thought of by yourself,” Lin said. 

Lin said she appreciates having a tutor available for writing help.

“I think having a tutor is better. After I finish my writing, I will try to find a tutor to help me fix my grammar mistakes,” she said.