Blog | UCSB Writing Program

Discover the creative minds and innovative work happening within our writing community. Our spotlight blog showcases outstanding student and faculty projects that push boundaries and explore new territories in writing. Explore these stories to find inspiration, connect with potential mentors, and see firsthand how writing shapes meaningful academic and creative journeys at UCSB.

2025-2026 M. Garren Tinney Writing Award Recipients Announced

Concluding a year full of outstanding undergraduate student writing supported by the M. Garren Tinney Memorial Fund, The Writing Program in the Division of Humanities and Fine Arts (HFA) at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2025-2026 M. Garren Tinney Writing Awards.

2025-2026 M. Garren Tinney Travel Award

The UCSB Writing Program in the Division of Humanities and Fine Arts at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) is proud to announce the 2025-2026 M. Garren Tinney Travel Award Recipients: David Andrew ‘28 (Environmental Studies & History), Noble Culpepper-Hawkins and ‘25 (Communications), and Karen Su ‘25 (Economics and Communications & Journalism).

2025-2026 M. Garren Tinney Writing Fellows

The UCSB Writing Program in the Division of Humanities and Fine Arts at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) is proud to announce the 2025-2026 M. Garren Tinney Writing Fellows: Brianna Griffin ‘26 (L&S Black Studies), Ari Linder ‘26 (CCS Writing & Literature), and Sophia Quinto ‘26 (CCS Writing & Literature).

Faculty Publication - Dr. Paul Rogers

We are happy to share the latest research published by Dr. Paul Rogers! For the Journal of Education for Teaching, he co-authored "A justice oriented examination of teacher education through the lens of deans’ innovations and leadership in schools of education"

2025 CCCC Richard Braddock Award

We are thrilled to share that Professor Michelle Petty has won the 2025 CCCC Richard Braddock Awards, the top article award in our discipline, for, “Black Linguistic Justice from Theory to Practice,” published in the June 2024 issue of College Composition and Communication

2024 Distinguished Teaching Award

We are delighted to share that UCSB has recognized our very own Ellen O'Connell Whittet with the university’s Distinguished Teaching Award!

Faculty Publication - Dr. Karen Lunsford

Dr Karen Lunsford, the Writing Program Chair, recently published her continued collaboarative research on the long lives of writers.

Faculty Publication - Dr. Karen Lunsford, Jonathan Alexander and Carl Whithaus

Dr. Karen Lunsford, along with her collaborators Jonathan Alexander and Carl Whithaus, talked with alumni who graduated up to 10 years ago about the evolution of their writing lives.

Faculty Publication - Dr. Karen Lunsford and Dr. Amanda Stansell

Professor Karen Lunsford & Dr. Amanda Stansell published “Grappling with an Evolving Field,” a program profile of the Science Communication track in the Professional Writing Minor in Composition Forum.

Faculty Publication - Dr. Victoria Houser and Dr. Lauren Sawyer

We are happy to share the latest research publication by Writing Program Teaching Professor Dr. Victoria Houser with her co-author Dr. Lauren D. Sawyer! Their article “Purity Culture and the Limits of Queer Evangelicalism” was published in the Journal of Theology & Sexuality.

Writing Program Spotlights