boston college creative writing seminar

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The BC Writing Center

Writing Center

Welcome to the bc writing center.

The Writing Center is open from September 9, 2024 – December 19, 2024.

Book an Appointment

Located in Stokes 418S, the BC Writing Center offers one-on-one conferences to BC undergraduates looking for help with their writing and written assignments. Our specialists (see below) are trained peers who can help you brainstorm, analyze, and revise your papers, essays, reports, and creative pieces. We work with assignments from multiple subjects (not just English courses) and also offer support for multilingual students. We are not a proofreading service and as such go beyond simply editing a paper just before it's due. Our goal is to work with you to improve your writing and help you become a more confident student in the process.

Appointments are scheduled for fifty minutes, and you may choose to schedule either an in-person meeting or a virtual meeting over Zoom. Available appointment and drop-in times can be found through the "Schedule an Appointment with an Academic Support Office" button on your Navigate homepage.

Center Hours

Monday – Thursday 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Friday 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Saturday Closed

Sunday 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Writing Center Specialists

Jacob Bojito

Hello everyone! My name is Jacob Bojito and I am a senior studying History, English, and Spanish. I was born and raised in Springfield, Massachusetts but proudly represent my Puerto Rican roots. I work on campus as an Administrative Assistant in the Office of Student Services and a Resident Advisor in the Keyes Community. Some of my involvements on campus include being a tour guide for the Student Admission Program as well as being part of the Executive Board for the Puerto Rican Student Association and the Organization of Latin American Affairs. Throughout my time at Boston College, I have taken multiple creative writing workshops to find my voice and improve the way I express myself. Through these experiences, I have developed many unique and untraditional approaches to the writing process and have learned how to help myself and my peers think beyond their work. I hope that my experience as an open-minded bilingual writer can provide a useful perspective for students looking to improve their writing!

Hi everyone! My name is Yinan Ding, and I am an international student from China and a Senior double majoring in Psychology BA and English. I am interested in studying clinical psychology and literature. I love literature and hope people can benefit from reading literature from different cultures, so I also work as a translator. However, when I committed to English as my second major, I struggled to write essays, especially with the problem of expressing myself in a second language. With the help of the Writing Center, I learned how to write fluent sentences and paragraphs, organize structures, and correct essay format. I believe everyone can be good writers, sometimes people just need a little help. So I decided to be a member of the Writing Center, and I hope my writing journey will help students learn English writing skills and find it interesting!!

Yosenlis Fabian

Hello everyone, my name is Yosenlis Fabian and I am a senior double majoring in Psychology and English in MCAS. Being born in the Dominican Republic and having to learn English has been a significant part of my academic and personal growth.This experience has given me a unique perspective on writing, especially for those who may find it challenging. I understand the difficulties that come with mastering a second language, and I’ve used this understanding to support bilingual students who might struggle with writing. My approach to writing is rooted in patience and clarity, and I see it as an opportunity to bridge gaps in communication and understanding. I’m passionate about helping others add to their writing skills and making the process as approachable as possible. I’m excited to help you develop all the skills that already exist within you!

Emmbrooke Flather

My name is Emmbrooke and I was born in California, grew up in Florida, and currently live in Massachusetts. Even though I experienced many different cultures growing up, I always found writing to be the most meaningful form of communication. To me, writing is a direct gateway into a person's mind and soul in a way that other mediums cannot capture. My approach to tutoring is very collaborative and student-led. Here at BC, I explore my love of writing through studying political science and I also write as a columnist for the Heights, am a member of the Swing Dance team, and a Campus engagement coordinator for CAB.

Lucas Hurtado

My name is Lucas Hurtado, a Senior in the History Major and American Studies Minor! On campus I’m involved in OLAA as their Director of Community Service, but my interests expand way beyond just that club! As it pertains to my role as a writing coach, I’ve been helping peers and friends with their writing for a very long time, and find it a very fun and engaging process! My specialties in writing lie in historical and argumentative-based papers, but I’m happy to tackle any writing questions or problems you might have! I can also help when it comes to stuff like structuring an essay, or even moments where you might not have any idea about what an essay will be about! When it comes down to it, I find the writing process to be really rewarding, and I’m excited to be able to help with whatever you may need!

Kyra Johnson

I'm Kyra Johnson, a senior from Long Beach, California double majoring in English and Sociology with a concentration in Creative Writing! Within my studies, I enjoy focusing on the intersection between popular culture and entertainment media, a large part of which revolves around how we can use writing—formal, creative, journalistic, or otherwise—to express how we interact with and perceive our world. Outside of the Writing Center, I edit and write for The Gavel, am on the BC Esports board, and volunteer with a local cat shelter. I also love using art, puzzles, and games as a creative outlet whenever I'm not writing. I've always found that with the right amount of creativity and ambition in your writing process, you can express ideas that you never realized you had before, and I hope that we can experience that together at the Writing Center! I would love to learn from one another as we take on whatever writing goals you may have—and I'll always be happy to chat about your personal creative pieces, too.

Jesse Julian

Hi! I'm Jesse Julian, born and raised in Southern California. I love exploring new music, thrifting, and sitting at cafés with an iced latte while pretending I'm busy. At BC, I'm a junior double-majoring in English and Philosophy, with a minor in Medical Humanities. Just like my academics, most of my extracurriculars involve writing, such as satirical journalism through the New England Classic, editing submissions for the Medical Humanities Journal, or composing poetry for the Schiller Institute. My writing approach relies heavily on workshopping. I see writing as a similar art form to sculpting; molding words together, then chiseling it down for the reveal. I love diving into the nitty-gritty of revision, or even engaging in surface-level brainstorming to overcome blank page syndrome. I'm easygoing, yet enthusiastic about writing, with a genuine curiosity for what you have to say. I've worked with abstract writing, such as poetry, but have plenty of extensive work with essays of diverse topics, such as book analyses or lab reports. Hope to see you at the Writing Center!

Quinn Kirchner

Hello Everybody! My name is Quinn Kirchner, I’m a junior from Rockville, Maryland. I’m a double English and Economics major. Outside of studying, I have a radio show and am a rock director for WZBC. I also participate and am on the board of the Effective Altruism club. In my free time, I love to go on runs, read, and hang out with my friends. I have always loved writing and helping my friends and family with their writing because writing allows myself and others to express themselves and develop a unique voice. My specialties are in argumentative writing but creative writing is also a significant area of interest for me, allowing me to help explore imaginative storytelling and diverse narrative styles. Sharing one’s writing can be a vulnerable experience. That being said, my goal in the writing center is to be encouraging and helpful to help others find their voice. I hope to share my passion for writing with everyone I work with!

Jasmine Lee

My name is Jasmine Lee and I am a junior from Middletown, Delaware. I'm majoring in Biology and minoring in Data Science. I honestly didn't think I enjoyed writing until I came to college and developed a writing process that helps me produce work I'm proud of. Writing is a foundational skill in all academic disciplines and I hope to be able to lend a hand to anyone who would like a new perspective on their writing! Outside of the writing center, I also work in the nursing building and O'Neill and I'm involved in 4Boston and Project Sunshine.

Garrett Martin

My name is Garrett Martin, and I am a senior from San Francisco, CA. I'm studying Secondary Education and English with minors in Theology and Managing for Social Impact. Outside of class I manage BC's Women's Volleyball Team, play for our Club Volleyball Team, and serve on the e-board of the Philippine Society of BC (PSBC). My favorite part of the writing process is helping writers find their own voice! Working with high school students in my pre-practicum experiences has given me exposure to this work, but I am excited to broaden it to college level writers. In my personal writing, I would describe myself as someone who is organized, methodical, and creative; I love to push the boundaries/rules/conventions of academic writing while also planning intently. I hope to help others develop their unique voice as well as share some of the writing practices that I have gained in my years as a writer!

Lola Milazzo

I'm Lola Milazzo, a junior from Westchester, New York double majoring in English and Political Science! On campus, I'm involved in the Bellarmine Law Review and the Music Guild in addition to being a writing tutor at The Connors Family Learning Center. This is my first year working at the Writing Center, and I am so excited to help more students to express themselves through writing. While studying Political Science has helped me to learn to write more succinctly and effectively, in addition to learning how to write in a number of different formats, studying English has allowed me to develop my creativity and analytical skills, especially concerning fiction and poetry. Inside and outside of my studies, I often take part in creative writing and have even had some works published in online journals. This experience has allowed me to discover my voice and flair as a writer, not just in creative pieces, but also in any academic format that I am tasked to complete. I am inspired to help students find their own voices through writing and to craft papers that not only reflect who they are as academics, but who they are as whole people as well.

Layla Oubssis

Hey everyone! My name is Layla Oubssis and I am senior studying Psychology and English. I absolutely love reading, so much that it inspired me to write my own creative pieces. I do my best to catch up on as much reading and writing as I can during my free time, although it certainly was not like that when I was younger. For a while, writing seemed to be a purely academic task that was quite scary, especially since I struggled with grammatical rules growing up. That was until I opened myself up to having fun with it! It was then that I began to understand that most writers craft their best pieces when they are in an environment that promotes freedom, creativity, and most importantly, receptivity to new ideas, especially ones we are passionate about. I believe that everyone, even if they do not love writing, can be an incredible writer with the proper support and encouragement. While this is my first year at BC’s Writing Center, I spent all of high school tutoring both my peers and elementary school students in English. I hope to boost students’ confidence and help them find their own, unique love for writing!

Elizabeth Pozniakova

Hi all! I am Elizabeth Pozniakova, and I am studying Biology and English. On campus, I am a Hatchery (Makerspace) team member and trainer, a founding member of the BC Ukrainian Club, and collate data for literature reviews on BRCA gene mutations. Off-campus, I volunteer at a clinic that assists Boston’s homeless population with medical care. Scientific language is often assumed to be vapid, and while this is a valid case, writing is essential to articulating and charting the course of groundbreaking research. My natural preference for creative and narrative writing proved useful in my hard science courses after all! I argue it could be just as essential to your domain as well. As soon as I realized that writing can be transposable, I was no longer daunted by any genre or style of writing required of my classes. We all have a distinct voice, and I look forward to helping you preserve yours while adhering to the many structural and conventional constraints of academic writing— especially generating ideas for a streamlined process through conversation.

Katelyn Rivera

I am Katelyn Rivera. I am majoring in Political Science and minoring in English. I am a member of the Montserrat Coalition Advisory board. For the past two years I have worked off campus so I am extremely excited to work at the Writing Center this year. I love writing and I am happy to share that with you by helping in any way I can.

Yuan Rotella

Hi! My name is Yuan. I'm from Brookline, Massachusetts (about 15 min away from BC). I'm a senior with an English major and a concentration in Creative Writing. Ever since I was little, I have always loved reading. I loved reading about fantasy worlds that I'd insist were "realistic" fiction because anything is possible. As I got older, I would experience things that were hard for me to understand. To process them, I would write and try to make my characters go through the same things (in a slightly different scenario) and see how they might react. Because I am shy, I was terrified to be connected to my work, but I loved hearing feedback about my writing from people because it provided new insight that I had never thought about; it helped me improve the clarity of the concepts and themes I was writing about as well as the structure and mechanics of my writing. This all applies to analytical as well as creative writing. I hope to provide a comfortable environment for us to work and grow together as writers and humans.

Harry Smith

I’m Harry, a junior studying English. I love writing and I’ve worked multiple positions as an editor or tutor over the past few years. Around campus, I perform music in BC bOp! and the University Wind Ensemble. I really appreciate the research and creative processes that constitute the creation of anything, and as such I’m happy to help with writing at any stage. I have experience working with all sorts of scholarly papers and creative pieces—I approach these things with equal enthusiasm and I’m grateful for the opportunity to assist in any way I can.

Leah Stitzel

Hi, I’m Leah! I’m a junior Communication major with minors in English, Marketing, and Jewish studies. On campus, you can usually find me in The Heights office where I edit for the arts section, playing intramural volleyball, or in the Rat. In my free time, I love hiking, cooking, and graphic design. I have always loved creative writing, but it wasn’t until coming to BC that I had the chance to enjoy more analytical writing. At first, I struggled with formal writing because I felt it lacked so much of my distinct writing voice– but I’ve learned to blend my creative process with more structured essay planning, and I look forward to helping others do the same. Good communication skills are important no matter what interest you want to pursue, and I think good writing begins with a desire to share your interests (even if you’re not an English major)!

Henry Troake

I'm Henry Troake and I'm from Massachusetts, about 40 minutes north of Boston. I'm majoring in English with a minor in History and part of the Creative Writing Concentration, where I'm focusing on fiction. At BC, I'm one of the e-board members of Stylus, one of BC's literary and art magazines, and I currently work as an audiobook proofing intern as well as at the Writing Center! I love writing for my Fiction Workshops and pursuing my projects outside of classes, and even an essay now and again. My three years at BC have helped me love the editing process too! My goal is to help other students realize that the editing/revising process can be enjoyable and that it's more than just fixing spelling errors.

Madeline Walesch

Hi everyone, my name is Madeline and I'm a senior at Boston College! I'm from Excelsior, Minnesota and am a Psych and English major with a minor in General Business. Besides working at the Writing Center, I'm also a spin instructor at the BC Rec Center and leader for the Stride program. On weekends you can find me training from my half marathon, going out in Boston, and skiing. Wherever you are in the writing process I'm here to help; whether that be constructing an outline or perfecting the final revision. I want to aid in developing your strengths and craft your unique writer’s voice. I know writing isn’t everyone’s favorite activity so I promise to make the process at the Writing Center as welcoming and engaging as possible!

Fisher Xiong

HI! My name is Fisher Xiong, and I am a junior majoring in history and political science. As a writer, I have practiced both academic and creative writings (primarily the former) in the past, but I would not call myself an expert of any kind. Like you, I am simply a student of writing, attracted by its potentials, fascinated by its diversity. For me, to write is to communicate: to form an opinion and use language to materialize it so that others may receive it, a process that links minds. I enjoy writing, and I would like to learn more about different ideas, which is why I am here to help those in need and to exchange perspectives to create something greater. I am fluent in both English and mandarin Chinese, so my sessions can be done in whichever one you prefer. Through communicating, I hope we can both grow as writers and leave with new insights.

Frequently Asked Questions

For Students
For Faculty

How do I schedule an appointment with a Writing Center Tutor?

Log onto your BC Navigate account.
On your student home page, click on the blue button that reads “Schedule an Appointment with an Academic Support Office.”
Select “BC Writing Center” under appointment type and “Writing Conference” under service.
Select the day you would like to make an appointment for.
Choose from the available appointment times.
After booking an appointment, you will receive a confirmation email and a pre-appointment questionnaire. Please fill this out before your appointment with information about your assignment, and a link or file of a draft if you have one.

Appointments must be booked at least 24 hours in advance. Drop-in hours may also be available, and can be viewed on Navigate by selecting the current day.

What assignments can I bring to the Writing Center?

We offer support for undergraduate students across campus. You can bring us any assignment draft. When you register for an appointment, you will be asked to provide your assignment prompt and a working draft.

How long are appointments?

Appointments are 50 minutes long.

What technology do I need for an online appointment?

You need a computer with a working microphone and camera.

At the time of your appointment, click on the Zoom link found in your confirmation email or under "location" in your appointment information.

What do I need to bring to a session?

You should bring your draft or brainstormed ideas, the assignment prompt, and a means to take notes. Please also come to your appointment ready to revise your work. This might mean changing whole paragraphs, restructuring whole essays, and modifying the thesis and supporting points. Writing is a collaboration, so be open to your specialist's feedback.

Can I schedule more than one appointment in a day or week?

In an effort to reach as many students as possible, we enforce a limit of one appointment per day and two appointments per week for every student.

Can I cancel or change my appointment?

You can cancel your appointment through your account, ideally more than 24 hours in advance. (Remember, our specialists are busy BC students too). If you would like to change or cancel your appointment and need help doing so, please send us an email at writingcenter@bc.edu . We do keep records of cancellations and no-shows.

What if English is not my first language?

All of our specialists are trained to support multilingual students!

Can graduate students use the Writing Center?

As of now, our Writing Center is staffed by and supports undergraduate students. If you are a graduate student who would like writing support, please email writingcenter@bc.edu to be connected with someone who can work with you.

Who are the BCWC’s tutors?

The writing center offers students a chance to learn from their peers: our Writing Specialists are upper-level undergraduates, who have each taken a 3-credit training course in writing pedagogy. Between their majors and minors, our currently active Writing Specialists represent fifteen different fields of study at BC. Students can view a tutor’s bio when signing up for appointments.

What kinds of assignments can the writing center help with?

Any assignment that involves a written component — or even requires a brainstorming stage —is appropriate for a writing center appointment. The BCWC is not a proofreading or editingservice: our conferences are structured as collaborative conversations, intended to helpstudents identify and develop the skills needed to become better writers.

How do tutors address discipline-specific writing expectations?

All conferences are tailored to the specific expectations provided in the student’s assignment prompt — we know that one set of writing advice does not fit all fields! Our Writing Specialists also represent a wide range of majors and minors: students can look through their bios when making an appointment to find someone with experience in a related field.

What is the difference between the BC Writing Center and the Connors Family Learning Center?

The BC Writing Center (in Stokes 418 S) and the Connors Family Learning Center (in the O’Neill Library) are separate programs. BCWC writing specialists are upper-level undergraduates and support fellow undergraduate students. Writing specialists are trained through a 3-credit course to provide support with written assignments for all disciplines. The CFLC writing tutors are upper-level undergraduate and graduate students who serve both populations. The CFLC is certified by the CRLA (College Reading and Learning Association) and writing tutors are required to participate in extensive training. The CFLC also offers an online writing lab called OWL.

Who should I recommend to the writing center and when?

Although the BCWC is a great resource for students who are facing challenges in their writing, the process-oriented work is just as valuable for more advanced writers. We recommend introducing the writing center to students at the beginning of an assignment: that way they have time to benefit from our support at different stages in the process.

Does the BCWC support students whose first language is something other than English?

Yes! All of our Writing Specialists are trained in supporting multilingual students.

Can I require that students visit the writing center?

The BCWC is intended to be a resource for students who are intentionally making the decision to work on their writing. In order to keep appointments available for students who are making that effort, we ask you to introduce the writing center as an optional resource and not as a required step in any individual assignment. For a metacognitive aspect of a writing portfolio (e.g. reflect on something you have done outside of class to improve your writing), the writing center would be an appropriate option to direct students to.

How can I share this resource with my students?

Faculty are an essential conduit for introducing students to the resources available at BC. In addition to including a paragraph on your syllabus (provided below), we recommend introducing the writing center in class at the beginning of a written assignment. Please contact writingcenter@bc.edu if you would like to schedule a day for us to visit your class and give a short presentation.

BC Writing Center

The BC Writing Center is located in Stokes 418S. We offer one-on-one conferences to BC undergraduates looking for help with their writing and written assignments. The BCWC’s Writing Specialists are trained peers who can help you brainstorm, analyze, and revise your papers, essays, reports, and creative pieces. We work with assignments from multiple subjects (not just English courses) and also offer support for multilingual students. We are not a proofreading service and as such go beyond simply editing a paper just before it's due. Our goal is to work with you to improve your writing and help you become a more confident student in the process.