Coppin State University Becomes First HBCU in 27 Years to Host Mid-Atlantic Writing Centers Association Conference
2026 Conference sets new post-COVID registration and attendance benchmarks
BALTIMORE — Coppin State University’s Writing Center hosted the 2026 Mid-Atlantic Writing Centers Association (MAWCA) Conference on March 27-28, 2026, marking the first time since 1999 that an HBCU has hosted the annual regional gathering. The event also set new post-COVID benchmarks for registration and attendance.
Held under the theme Cities That Write: Place, Space, and Writing Center Geography, the conference brought tutors and administrators from Delaware, Maryland, northern Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia to West Baltimore, with attendees traveling from as far as Charlotte, North Carolina, and Ithaca, New York.
“When our Writing Center welcomed the region to this campus, it represented something larger than a conference,” said James Stewart, Associate VP for Student Development and Achievement, Coppin State University. “It affirms that Coppin is a site of scholarship, innovation, and intellectual leadership in writing center studies — and that the work being done by our students and staff in West Baltimore is shaping the field across the mid-Atlantic. We are proud to open our doors, tell our story, and learn alongside colleagues who share our commitment to student success.”
The programming featured a workshop led by Lena Tashjian and the student tutors of the Baltimore City College Writing Center. Saturday featured an afternoon keynote address from Dr. Rachel Azima, Professor of Practice and Writing Center Director at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
In addition to hosting, Coppin State Writing Center staff led three presentations:
Associate Tutor Jordan McMillian and peer tutor Sayniel Sawmadal guided a roundtable titled Let Us Cook: HBCU Tutors on the Flavors of Their Writing Centers, gathering perspectives from HBCU tutors to expand tutor voices in writing center studies.
Co-coordinator Gilliann Kenerly presented on the development of the Coppin State Writing Center’s Blackboard presence and its role in strengthening indirect engagement with students.
Co-coordinator Matthew Kenerly explored how Fanny Jackson Coppin’s autobiography offers a unique archival, place-based pedagogy to guide the Writing Center’s continued growth and its contributions to writing center studies.
We are an HBCU Writing Center grounded in both Fanny Jackson Coppin's legacy and the pedagogy of West Baltimore, so hosting MAWCA gave us an opportunity, on our own terms, to announce the newest chapter of our story to the field of writing center studies,” said Matthew Kenerly, Writing Center Coordinator, Coppin State University. “The weekend allowed our tutors and colleagues from across the region to learn from one another as equals, and it affirmed the kind of scholarship our students produce every day.”
MAWCA 2026 reflects the Coppin State Writing Center’s broader vision of forging connections across Baltimore and the region in service of student success, aligning directly with the university’s strategic plan and its growing leadership in urban higher education.
