Watson Conference on Rhetoric and Composition
Where Groundbreaking Scholarship Meets Collaborative Action
The Watson Endowment
In 1995, Dr. Thomas R. Watson made a transformative gift of $1.2 million to the University of Louisville English Department, endowing both a biennial international conference in Rhetoric and Composition and a Visiting Distinguished Professorship. His vision was both generous and far-sighted: to create a sustained space where the field's most pressing questions could be explored through genuine collaboration.
Now in its third decade, the Watson Conference has become one of the discipline's signature events — a place where new ideas are not just presented but built together.
What Makes Watson Different
Unlike traditional academic conferences, Watson is designed around collaboration. Each conference invites participants to co-create — developing publications, digital projects, and scholarly resources in real time over three intensive days. Past conferences have produced edited collections with leading university presses, special journal issues, and digital archives that continue to shape Rhetoric and Composition scholarship.
Featured Publications
Each Watson Conference produces lasting scholarly contributions. Recent publications include:
- Writers: Craft & Context (vol. 3, no. 1), 2022 — from the 2021 conference
- Making Future Matters, Utah State University Press, 2018
- Mobility Work in Composition, Utah State University Press, 2021
Next Conference
The next Watson Conference is on the horizon. Stay connected for announcements about themes, calls for proposals, and registration.