Introduction
An “atrium” is a large, open space at the center of a building—in our case, the center of Battelle, the building that houses the Writing Studies Program. Battelle is also the home of the College of Arts and Sciences, the school at the center of the university. So this open space—our atrium—is at the heart of not just the writing program but also the work of the university.
Atrium reflects that role and position. It welcomes different genres, perspectives, and approaches. It can encompass diversity. And it enacts the values of the university: critical thinking, inquiry, engagement with research and other points of view, argument, and excellence.
That last value—excellence—is one of the hallmarks of this publication. The student-authored texts included here were chosen through a competitive process; they were selected as exemplars of different ways of going about the “writing work” of the university. Look to them not as formulas for “how to write a research paper” but as generative sources of inspiration for new ways you might tackle organization, or support for an argument, or even the shape of a sentence.
And look to Atrium as a space that invites you into a conversation about writing and ideas.
Finally, I’d like to thank the Atrium committee, including Stina Oakes, Chuck Cox, Miranda Pennington, and Caimeen Garrett.
Welcome to Atrium. Lacey Wootton
Director, Writing Studies Program