BALTIMORE, Maryland — English majors Cecilia Zucchero ’26 and Kellen McAllister ’27 attended the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) conference in Baltimore from March 4-7 after securing a donor-funded University of Mount Union arts and humanities research grant.

The AWP Conference & Bookfair is the largest annual gathering of writers, teachers, students, editors, and publishers in North America. Organized by the Association of Writers & Writing Programs, it serves as the primary hub for the creative writing industry. This year’s conference included more than 10,000 attendees, only a tenth of whom were students, and most of whom attend graduate programs.  

The Mount Union Department of Literature and Communication Arts provided additional support for Zucchero and McAllister, who attended expert panels on writing as an agent of change in society, the role of AI in teaching writing and new opportunities in writing professions.

Zucchero and McAllister are writing an article that will help encourage more undergraduates to take advantage of the conference, and to understand the role of AWP and conferences like it in building community in academic and other writing-related professional roles.  

“This experience brought the two of us closer to each other and to our passions. Going on trips like this is integral to fostering relationships not only in a professional sense, but also among peers,” said McAllister.

“It’s so important to find others like you—others who believe in the importance of books and words,” said Zucchero.

“Writing is a weirdly solitary craft, but it’s also people-focused,” said McAllister on the impact of meeting other writers. “It’s very important for anyone with a career in the humanities, or built around connections between people, to be part of a larger community.”

Discover more of the opportunities found in the English major at Mount Union by visiting mountunion.edu/english.