The Conference on Community Writing (CCW) gathers writers, activists, teachers, organizers, scholars, and community members to learn about writing as a tool for social change. I was fortunate to present twice in their biennial conference held at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan from October 23-25, 2025.
One presentation showcased an upcoming edited collection of essays titled: Next-Gen Perspectives on Leadership: Coalitional Strategies for Launching Careers, Renewing Curricula, and Defending Democracy. My chapter is titled: Navigating Industry Careers through Cultural Integration in which I discuss practical strategies to pursue non-academic careers that are grounded in community engagement values and principles. I was joined by the book editors, Drs. Sonia Arellano, Eric House, Charles McMartin, and a contributing writer, Dr. Anicca Cox.
Charisse presenting on a panel showcasing collaborative co-writing between communities and academic institutions with Drs. Rachael Shah and Jenn Patel.
My second presentation highlighted CCPH’s iterative and generative use of feedback loops as an approach to create a generative knowledge-making system. I spoke in a collaborative writing panel alongside Dr. Jenn Patel and my longtime mentor Dr. Rachael Shah.
Charisse presenting about CCPH
Conference Highlight: An audience member asked how researchers could better support community partners with limited capacity to conduct research collaboratively, which inspired a lively discussion on the importance of advocating for community partners to be involved in the decision-making process at the very beginning. If community partners are involved at the very beginning, the conversation won’t be about “what the community can’t do.” Instead, community partners in decision-making roles would reframe priorities so that communities aren’t viewed in deficit perspectives—this changes the narrative from “what they can’t do” to “here’s what we can do together.”
CCW is one of the most welcoming, community-centered, and generative conferences I’ve ever attended. We convened in Detroit to celebrate CCW’s 10th anniversary, and I’m excited to celebrate the next 10 years with them.
Pre-Order Next-Gen Perspectives on Leadership: https://upcolorado.com/utah-state-university-press/item/6816-next-gen-perspectives-on-leadership
Learn more about the Coalition for Community Writing: https://communitywriting.org/
University logo of Wayne State
College of Education building at Wayne State University
