Testimonial 301

For me, POROI was the perfect bridge between my experience in the MFA program in Nonfiction Writing and my work towards the Ph.D in Communication Studies.  I came out of the workshop environment really valuing the support and feedback offered by the writing community, but wanting the rigor and analysis of an academic degree.  Taking classes like “Comparative Disciplinary Rhetorics” or “Writing For Learned Journals” or seeing my professors present their interdisciplinary work at POROI seminars gave me rigorous analysis in a workshop setting.  I think that very often students who have not done creative work view writing as just another tool for thought—and berate themselves for not moving their thoughts seamlessly on to the page.  In contrast, as part of the Writing University, POROI provides an environment in which academic writing is encountered as process, not product.  In the course of this process an exchange develops among disciplines as well as individuals—a kind of scholarly and creative community dedicated to inquiry.