Naropa Writing Center

The Naropa Writing Center, also known as the NWC, provides the Naropa Community with mutual aid in every stage of the writing process. Our graduate assistant peer consultants provide a collaborative, empathetic space for a writer’s process, no matter the writing project. Students, staff, faculty, and alumni experiment, take risks, and hone their work in one-on-one meetings with peer consultants. The NWC helps our community gain confidence, focus, and feel supported through on-campus and online writing sessions.

The Naropa Writing Center is located on the second floor of Wulsin Hall in The Learning Commons, an alliance of campus resources that actively collaborate to support a student’s journey toward self-discovery, academic success, and engaged action in the world.

The NWC is a free resource for students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Whether you’re looking for pre-writing support, citation checks, or character development for your next great novel, we can help.

Features of the NWC include:

Daytime, evening, and weekend sessions.
Extended sessions for writers in need of extra support.
Handouts for every stage of the writing process from citations to revision strategies.
Pairing graduate psych students with qualified readers for their master’s papers.
For undergraduate and graduate faculty: In-class workshops on peer review, annotated bibliographies, citations, and workshop strategies inside the classroom.
Easy session booking through MYWCOnline.
Events and workshops for the Naropa Community.
Free snacks and other resources in our Learning Commons cubicle.

The Naropa Writing Center offers 25 and 50-minute writing sessions in person and online with our peer consultants.

The NWC is not an editing service. We are a writer-led space for peer support, active listening, and empathetic care, during any stage of a writing project. In the NWC we believe everyone is a writer no matter their past experience or confidence levels.

What Happens in a Writing Center Session?

Folks bring all kinds of writing to the NWC. Peer consultants listen to writers brainstorm early drafts of essays, thesis papers, personal narratives, résumés, cover letters, graduate school applications, poems, grant proposals, scholarship essays, and more! Favorite sessions of our peer consultants have included:

Developing D&D characters
Editing non-fiction manuscripts
Working on epic poems all semester long!
Prayers
Free writing
Capstone projects
Fullbright applications
Pedagogy statements
Lesson plans
Personal statements

Peer consultants begin by asking the writer questions to gain a clear understanding of their writing project and determine goals for the session and future sessions. Sessions are co-created and co-led by the writer and peer consultant. Writers are encouraged to focus on 1-2 concerns per session. Sessions address larger-picture concerns (thesis, development of ideas, organization, clarity) before detail-oriented concerns (grammar, mechanics, punctuation, citations).

The final decisions concerning the work always remain in the writer’s hands. The NWC provides a safe space for creativity, play, and care throughout the writing process. Faculty notifications available upon request.

Hours

Monday–Thursday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Friday: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Location

Arapahoe Campus
Wulsin Hall, Second Floor
The Learning Commons

Contact Information

Phone: 303-245-4606
Email: nwc@naropa.edu

"The writing center has been an incredible partner to me. I have found great benefit from my sessions, whether it is learning how to do citations, brainstorming ideas for an end-of-semester paper, or working on a creative project where having a sounding board has helped my ideas get more crystallized."

"The writing center helped me find interesting ways to revise poems and practice reading them out loud. I appreciate the sessions of inspired talk and look forward to more."