About the Writers' Center

The Writers’ Center is a place for writers to come and talk about their work. There is no additional charge for its services and it is open to all students, staff, faculty and alumni at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh.

History of the Writers' Center

The Writers’ Center at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh was created in Winter 2007 by Maria Boada to support the development of student writing. The Writers’ Center first coordinator was April Sikorski, who then moved to St. John’s University in New York City. Dr. Krystia Nora became coordinator in Summer 2007. In Summer 2008, when Dr. Nora left to take a position at California University of Pennsylvania, Marjorie Stewart became the Coordinator.

When April began the center, she was the sole writing consultant. We have since grown to a consultant staff of eight.

At the Writers’ Center, we give clients (students, faculty, and staff) one-to-one help on actual pieces of their writing. We help clients learn to develop ideas, structure writing in ways appropriate to audience and purpose, write clear and correct prose, identify and correct errors, and assess their writing in relation to the assignment and the applicable conventions.

Policies & Procedures

Clients generally begin in half-hour or hour consultations by identifying the most pressing issue they face in a particular piece of writing, or they may ask to work on persistent problems that appear in different kinds of writing tasks. We do not provide clients with unchanging models of “good writing,” as if all kinds of writing for any discipline are always the same. Instead, we try to help clients to determine the standards and expectations of the field for which they’re writing, assess how the features of the field they are studying are reflected in their writing practices/assignment, and practice how to adapt prior writing strategies to current situations.

Writing Consultants work on a wide array of writing issues including: writers’ block, underdeveloped ideas, faulty organization, supporting evidence, documentation, sentence-level errors, syntax, redundancy, and proofreading. Although we will help a client solve most writing problems, we will NEVER edit a clients’ work for them, and we will NEVER provide content (i.e., what to write about or what specific language and phrasing to use to express ideas).

Hours & Location

The Writers’ Center is located in Room 217. We are on the second floor at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, down the hall from Admissions and around the corner from the rest rooms.

Monday: 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday: 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday: 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Thursday: 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Friday: 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Services Offered

We offer a friendly environment, tutors that help you with your writing in all of its stages, as well as computers and a printer available for your work.

What Clients have said about the Writers' Center

All quotes are from anonymous surveys filled out by Summer '07 Writers’ Center clients. 100% of the 40 participants recommend the Writers’ Center to other students, staff, and faculty.

Here are sample comments about how the clients found the tutors helpful:

I learned “how to be specific on a resume.”
I learned “how to analyze a reading; then, break it down.”
I learned “to reread what I wrote to make sure it is correct.”
I learned “that I need a lot of help with sentence structure.”
I learned to “stop procrastinating."
“They helped me look at my topic in a different perspective.”
“They assisted in developing approaches to starting my paper, how to revise and correct mistakes, clarified confusion with citations…all in an hour!”
“Yes, they helped me develop my ‘hook.’”
“I g[e]t a lot better grades; I won’t fail again.”
“They showed me and gave examples and then let me discover the rest on my own.”
“They really helped me understand why I am actually writing this paper.”
“Gave great ideas.”
“They helped me notice things I hadn’t known were wrong.”
"They helped me with everything.”

Here are sample comments clients gave to explain why they would recommend the Writers’ Center to others:

“Yes, there’s always room for help!”
“It was good to hear what they thought about my ideas.”
“There’s really no reason not to.”
“It’s nice to hear their point of view.”
“They help you get what’s in your head on paper.”
“It helps you to understand your topics, the environment is friendly and enjoyable, and by the time you leave, you’ll know what to do.”
“It was nice to have someone guide you through.”
“Because even if you’re good or think you’re a good writer, it would be in your best interest to come down. Think of it as a boost, or an extra edge. It’s very helpful.”
“They know their stuff and they are a comfort to me.”
Because every student, regardless of major, will encounter some form of writing assignment either through core or general education classes.”
“FREE HELP!”
“I recommend them to everybody!!!”

Information for Faculty

What can the Writers’ Center do to help my students?

The Art Institute of Pitttsburgh Writers’ Center can help students learn to develop ideas, structure their writing in ways appropriate to the audience and purpose, write clear and correct prose, identify and correct errors, and assess their writing in relation to the assignment and the applicable conventions of the discipline.

Consultants will not provide students with unchanging models of “good writing,” as if all kinds of writing for any discipline are always the same. Instead, consultants help students determine the standards and expectations of the specific discourse community their piece of writing speaks to, recognize how the features of the discipline they are studying are reflected in writing practices, and adapt prior writing strategies to current situations.

What other things should I know about the Writing Center?

Besides tutoring students, the Writers’ Center offers a variety of in-class presentations and workshops to help students:

About the Writers’ Center (15 min.)
MLA Workshop (30 min.)
Writing Workshop (for in-class writing) (1 hr.)
Creative Writing Workshop (1 hr.)
Poetry Writing Workshop (1 hr.)
Screen Writing Workshop (1 hr.)
Other workshops may be available upon request
Tutoring appointments are 30 to 60 minutes and are conducted as one-to-one consultations.
Walk-ins are accepted, but scheduling an appointment in advance is strongly recommended.
Students can request Writers’ Center Reports to encourage reflection on the consultation and/or as evidence of a required visit for instructors
Students, faculty, staff, and alumni of The Art Institute of Pitttsburgh are eligible for the services provided by the Writers’ Center.

What can I do to help the Writers’ Center help my students?

When instructors send students to the Writers’ Center, they can help consultants work effectively with the student if they make their expectations clear.

Comments on student papers, copies of the assignment, and directions that specify the criteria for evaluating the paper also help the consultant help the student. Tell your students to bring these materials with them to the tutorial session. Instructors can also contact the Coordinator to develop an instructional plan for individual students.

What can the Writers’ Center do to help me teach writing in my courses?

The professional staff at the Writers’ Center has considerable experience in the teaching of writing and can help instructors develop sequences of assignments to meet course objectives, design evaluation criteria, assess student writing, and utilize peer review or discussion of student papers in class sessions. Talking directly with the Coordinator about your specific needs would be most productive.

General Handout

If you would like a general handout to give your students, click here.

Referral Form

If you would like to refer a student to the Writers' Center, fill out the this form and give it to your student. Click here to download the form.