Tutoring Creative Writers in the Writing Center

In this article, I report on the results of a mixed-methods survey research on writing center tutors’ attitudes towards tutoring creative writers. I analyze thirty-two tutors’ perceived level of confidence in tutoring poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction writing, examine the background factors that influence their perceptions, and describe their self-identified concerns about tutoring such writing. I conclude the article with a discussion of the implications for tutor training, arguing for the value of genre awareness pedagogy and improvisation practices to help tutors work with any genre in writing centers.