The Writing Partners

To meet with a Writing Partner in person or online, you will need to sign up for a WConline account. Use the “Register for an Account” link at the top left of the page. Note that if you’ve created an account to schedule appointments for a different service (Residential College Writing Tutors or the Academic Strategies Mentors), you’ll need to create a new one for the Writing Center. 

Drop-in sessions with Writing Partners offer a low-stakes way to receive friendly but helpful feedback on your writing. Feel free to bring in your work at any point in the writing process, whether it’s barely an outline or a near-final draft. During fall and spring terms, drop-in hours are offered on the Poorvu Mezzanine at 301 York St., in Poorvu North on Kline Tower’s Concourse level at 219 Prospect St., and online.

During drop-in hours, Writing Partners are available on a first-come, first-served basis. A Shift Coordinator will be on duty to assist you, and, if you’re in person, complimentary snacks are provided to help fuel your work. Before seeing a Writing Partner, you will be asked to create an account on our WConline website if you do not have one already. Appointments last up to 45 minutes, depending on how many students are waiting to be seen.

Outside of our drop-in hours, students are encouraged to use the Poorvu Mezzanine at 301 York St. as a space to write, study, and relax. 

If you’d like to schedule an appointment with a Writing Partner in advance, we offer scheduled meetings online and at Poorvu North. After creating a WConline account, navigate to the schedule for your preferred location. 

On the schedule page, click on any available white box. When you book a meeting, you’ll receive a confirmation email with a Zoom link or directions to our location in Kline Tower you can use to find your tutor at the time of your appointment.

If a Writing Partner has no appointments on their shift (i.e. all white boxes), please schedule a meeting with them before booking with someone who already has reservations. This will get you a fresher reader and ensure that our tutors’ work is evenly spread out.

Please only make appointments you know you can keep. If you must cancel, please do so online at least 12 hours before your appointment. Nobody likes a no-show, so please don’t be one.

Students who would like to work with the same Writing Partner on a weekly basis, should consider requesting a Weekly Writing Partner. 

Poorvu Center Mezzanine

The Writing Center is on the second level of the Center for Teaching and Learning in Sterling Library. Take the stairwell near the York St. entrance to the mezzanine. The tutoring offices are at the top of the stairs. For elevator access, enter the Poorvu Center and head to the right. You’ll find the elevator on your left.

Poorvu North in Kline Tower

Kline Tower is located at 219 Prospect St. Once you enter Kline, look for the elevators and stairwell across the lobby from Steep Cafe. Head to the Concourse (lowest) level and look for the sitting areas with orange chairs. 

Since drop-in Writing Partners do not read papers beforehand, sessions will begin with the Writing Partner asking questions and the client explaining their assignment. After a brief discussion, the Writing Partner will read over the provided draft. Occasionally, Writing Partners may not have time to read an entire draft. 

The Writing Partner will then offer thoughts about the paper and give advice about effective strategies for structure, analysis, and developing or strengthening a thesis. Clients should come ready to be an active participant in the session. Writing Partners aim to lead a conversation with the writer about their goals for their paper and more broadly in their writing.

Rather than proofreading or editing students’ work, Writing Partners prioritize developing skills and strong writing habits that will improve students’ writing in the long run.

Wondering how to become a Writing Partner? Visit the About the Writing Partners page. If you still have questions about the Writing Partners, please contact Graduate Assistant Director of the Writing Center, Eden Rea-Hedrick at eden.rea-hedrick@yale.edu , or the Associate Director, Paula Rawlins at paula.rawlins@yale.edu.