We insist on imitating an 80-year-old model of instruction, originally developed at the University of Iowa in 1936 and replicated as sacrosanct. The time for tangible change is now.
The writing workshop model is the most widely-used model of writing instruction in the United States, used in high schools, colleges, and graduate programs.
According to Poets & Writers, there are well over two hundred MFA programs in the United States.
There is a growing discussion among writers of color that a color-blind approach to writing workshop can serve to marginalize and silences their voices.
Movements like #WeNeedDiverseBooks, and challenges in a publishing industry that is still predominantly white, highlight the urgency of change in publishing. Pedagogical approaches that center the voices of marginalized people and empower them to write authentic stories are an important contribution.