Crack that whip

Gail Lethbridge writes her Slacker Mom column for The Chronicle Herald in front of an audience at last year's inaugural WHIPS. (Nick Pearce Photo)

Writing can be a torturous process for some students but at Dalhousie University, a small group of academics are offering WHIPS to help lessen the pain.

First introduced last year, Write Here in Plain Sight (WHIPS) is a bold adventure in teaching. The project is based on the premise that, as with other skills, learning how to write an academic paper can be significantly enhanced by observing expert behaviour.

Students and the public are invited to see a wide variety of writers working without a net Saturday afternoon, January 26, from noon to 4 p.m. at the K.C. Rowe Management Building, 6100 University Ave. Every word, every typo, every moment of the writing process will be projected on large screens in six different rooms. Attendees will witness the horror, the struggle, and the triumph of writing as it is practiced.

Watching the writers will reveal exactly how messy and idiosyncratic the writing process is and how it actually happens. The writers will share their innermost thoughts as they plow through the process. The audience will get to question what they see as it evolves. For one writer, the audience will choose the topic, and then be witness to the research, thinking and writing as it happens.

The writers wielding their pens at WHIPS are:

• Carolyn Watters, Dean of Graduate Studies, Computer Science
• Dean Irvine, 19th- and 20th-century Canadian Literatures
• Gail Lethbridge, journalist, blogger, and author of “Slacker Mom”
• Ian Colford, award winning creative writer
• Jack Duffy, industrial psychologist
• Lyn Bennett, Early Modern Poetry
• Sunny Marche, Information Systems

Those wishing to take advantage of this unique learning experience are encouraged to register through the Management Career Services office by phone at 494-1515 or by e-mail at mcs@dal.ca. Updated event information will be sent to all registrants prior to January 26.