CBW Archives

CBW Archives

The CBW archive contains The CBWS/CBW Newsletter from 1982-1998, as well as additional historical material, such as the original flyer Charles Guilford produced to advertise CBW or the call to convention of the 4th National Basic Writing Conference, sponsored by CBW.  As far as I know, The Newsletter is not available in libraries. Issues now exist only in personal collections of old materials. Paper copies were becoming tattered, so to preserve the information, the newsletter was scanned into a (now nonexistent) CBW website as an archive in 2001.

Over time, as CBW’s chairs shifted from institution to institution, the archive was lost; but in 2020, it was re-created here. Additional materials have been added to the original archive, including an issue of The Newsletter not located originally. To my knowledge, the newsletter collection is, in 2020, complete. However, if you know of additional newsletter issues or historical artifacts of the organization, please contact Karen Uehling: kuehling@boisestate.edu.

Newsletters in the archive contain reports, surveys, book reviews, literature reviews, history, argument, even personal essays about teaching; as well as information on CBW Special Interest Group (SIG) meetings, the 4th National Basic Writing Conference in 1992, day-long workshops begun in 1996, and CCCC sessions on basic writing. It may be of interest to those who want to learn more about basic writing and the history of the organization. It may also be useful to scholars of the history of professional organizations--the archive reveals how CBW emerged and how it has been reinvented in response to new conditions and situations, under the guidance of new people. 

The CBWS/CBW Newsletter is indexed in CompPile (https://wac.colostate.edu/comppile/).

Note:

  • All links open in a new browser window. The newsletters are in Adobe Acrobat format, so nearly any computer should be able to download and read them.  If you don't have Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can download it free.
  • For a time, the newsletter changed from a Volume-Number format to simply a "number___" format, and then changed back.  In the list below, the issues are listed sequentially, beginning with the oldest. 

1980-1981

  • Charles Guilford's Letter and Survey
    • October 1980 letter and first survey questionnaire: Charles Guilford was then at Kansas State University. The group began organizing at the 1980 CCCC in Washington, DC, and the first official meeting as a Special Interest Group was at the 1981 CCCC in Dallas; program title: "Basic Writing in the 80's: Challenges and Resources."
  • Charles Guilford's original flyer advertising CBW
    • Known then as "CBWS: The Conference on Basic Writing Skills."

1982 

  • The Newsletter, Volume 1 Number 1 (Winter 1982)
    • Includes: "A Note on CBWS," by Editorial Staff; "An Interview with Sondra Perl," Part I, interviewed by Karen Thomas (Uehling); "Continuing Resources in Basic Writing: A Personal Reading List," compiled by Barry S. Kwalick; survey questionnaire on finding and using student help/tutors.
  • The Newsletter, Volume 2 Number 2 (Fall 1982) 
    • Includes: "An Interview with Sondra Perl," Part 2, interviewed by Karen Thomas (Uehling), including "Guidelines for Teaching the Composing Process" from the New York City Writing Project; list of new CBWS members; "Notes and Announcements"; "The Care and Feeding of Tutors in BW Courses": results from survey questionnaire on finding and using student help/tutors, by Jay King and Susan Hudson.

1983

  • The Newsletter, Volume 3 Number 1 (Winter 1983)
    • Includes: Announcement of the 1983 CBWS SIG meeting at CCCC in Detroit; topic: what a basic writing course should cover and why; Program Chair: Karen Thomas (Uehling); panelists: authors of textbooks for basic writing or related courses: Teresa F. Glazier, Irvin Y. Hashimoto, Dan Kirby, and Sue Lorch. Note that since most of this issue consisted of names and addresses, we reproduce only page 1 here.

1984

  • The Newsletter, Number 4 (Spring 1984)
    • Includes: "Challenging the Basic Writer," announcement of the 1984 CBWS SIG meeting at CCCC in NYC; Program Chair: Andrew Moss; panelists with papers: Laurel Corona, Vivian Rudisill, and Richard Ramsey; respondent: Paul Ellis. "Conferences and Institutes"; list of new CBWS members; "Publications of Interest"; "Survey of Teaching Grammar in Basic Writing Courses," from Michael Montgomery; CBWS Newsletter Editorial Policy.
  • The Newsletter, Number 5 (Fall 1984)
    • Includes: "Critical Thinking and the Basic Writer": announcement of the 1985 CBWS SIG meeting at CCCC in in Minneapolis, with call for panelists, Program Chair: Mary Kay Harrington; "Conferences and Institutes"; "Publications of Interest"; information about a "national directory of exemplary developmental programs"; "Notes and Announcements"; "Some Plain Truths about Teaching English," statement by NCTE (with others); information about JBW; CBWS Newsletter Editorial Policy; "Teaching Composition: A Position Statement," NCTE, 1984; "Survey of Approaches to and Attitudes toward the Teaching of Basic Writing to Students whose Written Language Is Affected by Nonstandard Speech Patterns," survey questionnaire from Allison Wilson.

1985

  • The Newsletter, Number 6 (Spring 1985)
    • Includes: "Critical Thinking and the Basic Writer": announcement of the 1985 CBWS SIG meeting at CCCC in in Minneapolis, Program Chair: Mary Kay Harrington; panelists who have written about and researched critical thinking: John Chaffee and John Hollowell; book review of How to Teach Writing In Groups: Collaborative Learning in English Comp Classes, by Robert Whitney and Goran "George" Moberg, reviewed by Charles Guilford; information on summer graduate classes/programs in the teaching of writing; details from a National Association for Developmental Education (NADE) report on developmental education; "Call for Papers": announcement of [first national] 1985 basic writing conference at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, by Sallyanne Fitzgerald; "Conferences and Institutes"; CBWS Newsletter Editorial Policy.
  • The Newsletter, Number 7 (Fall 1985)
    • Includes: "New Directions in Basic Writing": announcement of the 1986 CBWS SIG meeting at CCCC in in New Orleans, with call for panelists, Program Chair: William A. Stull; "Results of National Survey on Basic Skills of College Freshmen," as reported in a research monograph of the Instructional Resource Center of CUNY and by the Journal of Developmental Education; list of new CBWS members; "Conferences and Institutes"; "Notes and Announcements"; submission information for JBW; CBWS Newsletter Editorial Policy; "Publications of Interest."

1986

  • The Newsletter, Number 8 (Spring 1986)
    • Includes: "New Directions in Basic Writing": announcement of the 1986 CBWS SIG meeting at CCCC in in New Orleans, Program Chair: William A. Stull; panelists with varied presentation titles: Allison Wilson, Carolyn G. Hartnett, Phyllis S. Endicott, Melbourne DeYoung, and Mary Edelman Denman; "Notes and Announcements"; "Conferences and Institutes"; "Publications of Interest"; "Calls for Papers & Proposals."

1988

  • The Newsletter, Volume 7, Number 1 (Spring 1988)
    • Includes: "CBW Interest Group Reorganizes at CCCC," by Carolyn Kirkpatrick: announcement of the 1988 CBW SIG meeting at CCCC in St. Louis; topic: panel discussion of Facts, Artifacts, and Counterfacts, by David Bartholomae and Anthony R. Petrosky--panelists, contributors to the book: Nicholas Coles, Marilyn DeMario, Glynda Hull, Mariolina Salvatori, and Susan Wall; book review of Facts, Artifacts, and Counterfacts, by David Bartholomae and Anthony R. Petrosky, reviewed by Peter Dow Adams; "A Word from the Founders" of CBW," by Chuck Guilford and Karen Uehling; "Resources for Teachers and Researchers of Basic Writing"; "CCCC Sessions for Teachers & Researchers of Basic Writers."
  • The Newsletter, Volume 8, Number 1 (Fall 1988)
    • Includes: "New Editors for Journal of Basic Writing"; "MLA Sponsors Literacy Conference," by Peter Dow Adams; "From the Chairs: The State of CBW," column; "A Drama: The Tinkling of Glasses, The Sounds of a New CBW," by Suellynn Duffey; "Reviews: Recent Articles on Basic Writing: Computers in teaching basic writing," column by Linda Stine; announcement of the 1989 CBW SIG meeting at CCCC in Seattle; topic: the "state of basic writing" panel discussion with the editor and contributing editors of A Sourcebook for Basic Writing Teachers: Theresa Enos, David Bartholomae, Andrea Lunsford, and Lynn Troyka; "U of Wisconsin Adopts Fees for Developmental Students," by Charles I. Schuster; Query Column on forming CCCC panels; a list of the CBW Advisory Committee for 1988-89; Bulletin Board for Teachers and Researchers in Basic Writing.

1989

  • The Newsletter, Volume 8, Number 2 (Spring 1989)
    • Includes: "[Third National] Basic Writing Conference Scheduled for St. Louis in September," by Sallyanne Fitzgerald; "Enos, Bartholomae, Lunsford, and Troyka to Speak at CBW Meeting": announcement of the 1989 CBW SIG meeting at CCCC in Seattle; topic: the "state of basic writing" panel discussion with the editor and contributing editors of A Sourcebook for Basic Writing Teachers: Theresa Enos, David Bartholomae, Andrea Lunsford, and Lynn Troyka; "From the Chairs: The State of CBW," column by Peter Dow Adams; "Composition Chronicle Completes First Year"; book review of A Sourcebook for Basic Writing Teachers, edited by Theresa Enos, reviewed by Gene Hammond; "Reviews: Recent Articles on Basic Writing: Recognizing, Respecting, and Evaluating Diversity among Writers," column by Linda Stine; Query Column on forming CCCC panels; Bulletin Board; "What Is a Basic Writer?" report from the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB); "CCCC Sessions of Interest."
  • The Newsletter, Volume 9, Number 1 (Fall 1989)
    • Includes: "CBW at CCCC: A Twilight Double Header": announcement of the 1990 CBW SIG meeting at CCCC in Chicago; topic: "Black Students, Standard English, and Basic Writing" panel discussion with Miriam Chaplin, Gene Hammond, Lisa Delpit, and Geneva Smitherman; book review of Lives on the Boundary, by Mike Rose, reviewed by Kay Puttock; "From the Chairs: The State of CBW," column by Peter Dow Adams and Carolyn Kirkpatrick; "Reviews: Recent Articles on Basic Writing: Student/Teacher Roles," column by Linda Stine; "Reports from Three Gatherings of Interest: Stellar CBW Meeting Held in Seattle," by Sally Harrold; "Reports from Three Gatherings of Interest: Florida in January: The CCCC Winter Workshop," by Suellyn Duffey; "Reports from Three Gatherings of Interest: 1989 Basic Writing Conference in St. Louis," by Sally Barr Reagan; Bulletin Board; "CBW Membership Survey"; a ballot to vote for or against a slate of candidates for the CBW Executive Board; "CCCC Sessions of Interest."

1990

  • The Newsletter, Volume 9, Number 2 (Spring 1990)
    • Includes: "CBW Session at CCCC Examines Black English," by Pamela Gay; "MLA to Hold Second Conference on Literacy," by Cassandra Canada; "From the Chairs: The State of CBW: SIG Scoreboard," column by Peter Dow Adams and Carolyn Kirkpatrick; "Panel on African American Basic Writers Stirs Needed Controversy at SIG Meeting," by Bob Roth; "Results of Membership Survey in Last Newsletter"; "Facts, Artifacts Update," report on CCCC basic writing Saturday workshop, by Suellynn Duffey; "Reviews: Recent Articles on Basic Writing: Black Students, Standard English, and Basic Writing," column by Linda Stine; "Basic Writing and African American Students Studied in Tennessee," by Robert O. Riggs and Todd M. Davis; "1990-91 CBW Executive Committee": announcement of board members; Bulletin Board.
  • The Newsletter, Volume 10, Number 1 (Fall 1990)
    • Includes: "Toward Effective Assessment: A Critique of Current Approaches," by Karen Greenberg; book review of Research in Basic Writing: A Bibliographic Sourcebook, edited by Michael G. Moran and Martin J. Jacobi, reviewed by Jeanne Gunner; "From the Chairs," column by Peter Dow Adams and Carolyn Kirkpatrick; "Executive Committee Slate"; "CBW Meeting to Examine Race, Class, and Gender in Basic Writing Classrooms": announcement of the 1991 CBW SIG meeting at CCCC in Boston; topic: brief panel on race, class, and gender with Bill Jones, John Trimbur, and Kay Halasek, followed by small group discussion; "Mina Shaughnessy Writing Award to be Presented at CBW": recipient, Kathleen Dixon for JBW essay; "CCCC Sessions of Interest"; "Reviews: Recent Articles on Basic Writing Assessment," column by Linda Stine; "Lisa Delpit Awarded MacArthur Fellowship"; Bulletin Board; "CBW Survey #2: Assessment;" ballot to vote for or against a slate of candidates for the CBW Executive Board.

1991

  • The Newsletter, Volume 10, Number 2 (Spring 1991)
    • Includes: "CBW at CCCC," report on the 1991 CBW SIG meeting at CCCC in Boston, by Sallyanne Fitzgerald; "New ESL Journal from CUNY [College ESL]," by Carolyn Kirkpatrick; "From the Chairs," column by Peter Dow Adams and Carolyn Kirkpatrick; "1991-92 CBW Executive Committee"; "Puzzling Results of Survey on Assessment," by Peter Dow Adams; "Reviews: Recent Articles on Basic Writing: Examining the Teacher/Student Relationship and its Effect on Student Writing," column by Linda Stine and Sally Harrold; Bulletin Board.
  • The Newsletter, Volume 11, Number 1 (Fall 1991)
    • Includes: "National Basic Writing Conference October 1992": announcement of the 4th National Basic Writing Conference to be held in College Park, MD, by Eugene Hammond and Carolyn Kirkpatrick; "Conference Held on the Teaching of Grammar," report on the 1991 conference on the teaching of grammar in Williamsport, PA, by Janet Gilbert; "From the Chair," column; "Reviews: Recent Articles on Basic Writing: Teaching Literature in Basic Writing Classes," column by Sally Harrold; Bulletin Board; "CBW Survey #3: Critical Issues" about basic writing to help with planning the 1992 national conference; "Executive Committee Slate" of candidates for CBW and Ballot for Executive Committee.

1992

1993 

  • The Newsletter, Volume 12, Number 1 (Winter 1993)
    • Includes: "Report on the Fourth National Basic Writing Conference," by Karen Uehling; an essay by Linda Stine titled "Report from the Hinterlands: Teaching Writing in Central China"; "Reviews: Recent Articles on Basic Writing: Assumptions that inform our relationships with our students and our teaching," column by Sally Harrold; Bulletin Board.
  • The Newsletter, Volume 12, Number 2 (December 1993)
    • Includes: Book review of A Kind of Passport: A Basic Writing Adjunct Program and the Challenge of Student Diversity, by Anne DiPardo, reviewed by Karen Uehling; "Basic Workmanship: A View from the Nineteenth Century (From The Stones of Venice, by John Ruskin); "Reviews: Recent Articles on Basic Writing: Coming of Age in Composition," column by Sally Harrold; Bulletin Board.

1995

  • The Newsletter, Volume 13, Number 1-A (March 1995)
    • Includes: "From the Chair," column by Suellyn Duffy; an essay by Donna R. Casella titled "Negotiating a Cultural Borderland: Teaching Writing in a Bicultural Classroom at Minnesota State University, Akita, Japan"; "Reviews: Recent Articles on Basic Writing: Academic politics, theoretical issues, and pedagogical strategies," column by Sally Harrold; Bulletin Board.

1996

  • Flyer for the first CCCC Workshop, 1996
  • The Newsletter, Spring 1996
    • Includes: "From the Chair," column by Jeanne Gunner; "Pre-CCC Basic Writing Workshop," discussion of changing role of CBW SIG meetings with the inauguration of annual pre-CCCC CBW Workshops at the 1996 Milwaukee CCCC, by Karen Uehling; "Workshop Title: 'Interrogating the Boundaries of Basic Writing,'" with complete schedule; presenters with varied presentation titles: Sylvia A. Holladay, Richard P. Friedrich, Tom Fox and Judith Rodby, Nancy Grimm, Rei Noguchi, Charles Schuster, and Ira Shor, and various respondents; "Reviews: Recent Articles on Basic Writing: Questioning of the current assumptions of writing teachers and the field of composition," column by Sally Harrold.

1997

  • The Newsletter, Volume 13, Number 1-B (Spring 1997)
    • Includes: "Notes from the the 1997 CCCC's CBW Workshop," at the Phoenix 1997 CCCC, by Gerri McNenny; title of workshop: "Race, Class, and Culture in the Basic Writing Classroom," presenters with varied presentation titles: Gary Tate, John McMillan, and Elizabeth D. Woodworth; Jacqueline Jones Royster and Rebecca Taylor; Jane Maher; Victor Villaneuva; Mary Soliday and Barbara Gleason; and Ira Shor; "Review of Recent [Text]Books," column by Sally Harrold; an essay titled "CBW: A Recent History," by Jeanne Gunner, CBW Chair 1995-1997.
  • "Call for Papers" for the edited collection, The Politics of Basic Writing: Mainstreaming At-Risk College Students, edited by Gerri McNenny and Sallyanne Fitzgerald. This book was published in 2001 by Lawrence Erlbaum, with the title Mainstreaming Basic Writers: Politics and Pedagogies of Access.

 

1998

  • The Newsletter, Volume 13, Number 2 (Winter 1998)
    • Includes: "Rethinking Basic Writing: CCCC '98 All-Day Workshop": announcement of the all-day CBW Workshop at the Chicago 1998 CCCC, by Gerri McNenny; presenters with varied presentation titles: William Jones, Kathleen Blake Yancey, Gary Tate, Terrence Collins, and Kate Mangelsdorf; an essay titled "Reading and Writing," by Bill Robinson; an essay titled "Students, Teachers, Readers" by Cynthia Gwyn Hicks; information about the CBW SIG at the Chicago 1998 CCCC.
  • The Newsletter, Volume 13, Number 3 (Winter 1998)
    • Includes: "1999 CCCC Convention: 'Teaching Basic Writing at the Point of Need'": announcement of the all-day CBW workshop at the Atlanta 1999 CCCC, with schedule; presenters with varied presentation titles: Linda Adler-Kassner, Kathleen Blake Yancey, George Otte and Terrence Collins, and Marcia Dickson; an essay by Terry Collins titled "Basic Writing Programs and Access Allies: Finding and Maintaining Your Support Network."