Soraya's Post

As a writer, I have always found my art form to be one built out of solitude. Writing differs from performing art in the way that most writing and creativity has to happen alone rather than collaboratively. I find that many of the MFA students hold on to solitude as a part of our artistic identity, so to speak. However, it is interesting that even within this definition of our artform we have all chosen to step out of our solitude to join a community and write together. The value of a supportive community of writers is priceless in the type of feedback and growth you are able to receive that you absolutely cannot achieve alone. I have found that although I need to write alone, the collaboration with other writers is what shows me what I need to work on as a writer, how to look at my work in terms of its audience and how its work is communicated to others. All writing in that sense is an imaginary conversation with the writer and its audience. Therefore, I think all writing is inherently collaborative. I think few writers are ever successful without the help of other writers. The same is certainly true for academic writing. My goal in academic writing has always been to try to communicate to more than just other academics but to the community I am writing about. Academic writing that doesn’t consider how to communicate to larger audiences often comes across as though the writer is merely speaking to him/herself.

I agree with Jess that the Souda Online project was a great example for how collaboration can enhance academic scholarship with regards to history. I think of history as being made up of not facts and dates but of people’s stories and feel that the SOL’s indicates the many voices that are inherent in any historical event or document. I also agree with Mike that Digital Memory Banks, such as The Hurricane Digital Memory Bank, are useful in allowing larger audiences to “know a lot about a lot.” Technology makes education more accessible and therefore makes learning less tyrannical (by allowing everyone to learn about the histories and politics that are marginalized by many print presses).