Logging On

Cheryl E. Ball and Beth L. Hewett, Co-Editors

  • In this issue, the Topoi section of Kairos is pleased to showcase three webtexts originating from the 2007 Computers and Writing Conference (C&W) in Detroit.
  • Special announcement: This is the last issue that will be devoted to the proceedings of the C&W conference.

Kairos Awards, Workshops & Other Announcements

Kairos TA/Adjunct Awards
We invite people to submit nominations for the Kairos Awards, given annually at the Computers and Writing Conference. Kairos gives awards for best webtext (which does not have to be a Kairos-based webtext), best academic weblog, and three awards (co-sponsored by Bedford/St.Martin's Press) which recognize outstanding service, teaching, and scholarship among graduate students and adjuncts.

Please visit our awards page to find out more about eligibility and application processes, or email kawards@technorhetoric.net. The deadline for submission is March 1, 2008.

At the following upcoming conferences, Kairos editors will be present to talk to you about submitting and publishing in the journal. For more information:

  • The Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) will be in New Orleans, LA from April 2 – 5, 2009. Kairos editors will have a presences at the Editor’s Roundtable during the Wednesday Research Network Forum; we’ll talk with participants to explain Kairos submission policies, discuss how to submit a strong webtext, and answer any questions you might have.
  • Also while at the CCCC, look for Senior Co-Editor Douglas Eyman at the Computer Connection, a project of the CCCC Committee on Computers in Composition and Communication (7Cs), and take advantage of the numerous presentations and demonstrations.
  • The Computers and Writing (C&W) Conference will be at the University of Georgia, Athens, GA from May 21 – 25, 2008. There, if our proposal is accepted, Kairos will have a mentoring/webtext-authoring workshop to help us reach out to new authors by addressing how to write, design, and submit a strong webtext, and by introducing our author mentoring processes. By the time of this publication, the deadline will have just passed, but readers can visit the UGA Computers and Writing 2008 website for more information: http://www.cw2008.uga.edu/cw_pages/index.htm. By the way, the site for the 2009 C&W has been selected; it will be held from June 16-19 at the University of California, Davis. Please see http://writingprogram.ucdavis.edu/carlwhithaus/cw09_1.html for
    the full proposal, and direct questions to Carl Whithaus, cwwhithaus@ucdavis.edu.

Letting Us Know What You Think
Kairos will start occasionally running webtext versions of "letters to the editor" as we receive them. Called "Disputatio: A Reader's Forum," this venue is designed to let our readers argue their ideas in relation to published webtexts, featured themes, or ideas in the field in general. We invite readers to submit short digital texts, such as this YouTube video response, that invite or incite further commentary. We conceive this section to operate much like letters to the editor in more traditional journal venues; the twist is that we expect these letters to take native digital forms, even if rudimentary in nature. While these letters will not go through a review process, journal editors will read them and, if necessary, make suggestions to the authors that may sharpen the point through textual or digital revision. In the case of a letter that rebuts another webtext, we will provide the original author an opportunity to respond, starting a digital, perhaps multimedia, conversation for our readers. We eagerly await you to air concerns, rebut or support authors' theses, or propose actions!

Call for Submissions
As always, the Topoi section of the journal has an open call for full-length, scholarly webtexts on any topic. Check out our submission guidelines and query the editors if you have questions or want to run submission ideas by us. We are always eager to talk with potential authors!

Welcome New Topoi Assistant Editors!
Please welcome our new Topoi Assistant Editors: Devon Fitzgerald, Monica Jacobe, Michael Trice, and Stephanie Vie; our new AEs underwent a rigorous review process and stood out among a large applicant pool that was full of talent. Also beginning with the next issue, Mike Edwards will shift roles from Topoi Assistant Editor to Advanced Assistant Editor.

Acknowledgements
The journal would like to say a sad farewell to Brad Lucas, the Interviews Co-Editor, and to Joyce Walker, the Praxis Co-Editor, both of whom have been with Kairos for many years. We also acknowledge Leah Cassorla, a long-time Assistant Editor first with the CoverWeb and more recently with Topoi, who is taking a leave of absence. Thank you all for your hard work on Kairos’s behalf!