Farnham Writer’s Center

The Farnham Writers’ Center is a peer-to-peer tutoring arm of the Colby Writing Department and a writing resource for students, faculty, staff, and the local community. We operate the Writers’ Center with the philosophy that writing is not a discrete skill but rather an important part of thinking and learning. We work collaboratively with writers at all levels of development, at any point during their writing processes, from first ideas to final drafts.

Since writing occurs in courses across the curriculum at Colby, peer tutors are trained to respond to various forms of discipline-specific writing—lab reports, case studies, application essays, and response writing, for example, as well as standard academic essays. Tutors are also trained as writing fellows assigned to work with faculty members and students in writing-intensive courses.

While many students use the Writers’ Center to receive feedback on particular pieces of writing, those who seek more intensive collaboration may enroll in WP 112, a one-credit course that establishes weekly meetings with designated staff members.

Writers’ Center tutors work with writers across Colby’s diverse extended community: first-year composition students; students diagnosed with learning differences; senior scholars; students who speak English as an additional language; job and graduate school applicants; fellowship candidates; and writers interested in developing skills specific to personal, professional, and civic contexts.

The Farnham Writers’ Center, located in room 206 on the second floor of Miller Library, is open Monday through Thursday during the day and Sunday evenings. Appointments may be made online.