The 2014 Symposium on Second Language Writing will take place November 13-15, 2014, at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA. This year's theme, "Professionalizing Second Language Writing," highlights the need for a shared sense of professional identity and standards as the field comes of age.

The field of second language writing has grown tremendously over the last two decades, and many teachers, scholars and administrators from various disciplinary and institutional perspectives have come to identify themselves as second language writing specialists. While the disciplinary infrastructure has grown and opportunities for graduate education have expanded, there is a dearth of resources for the professional development of mid-career specialists who wish to continue to expand their repertoire and engage in more advanced professional work--such as administration, consulting, teacher education, mentoring doctoral students, and giving plenary talks.

Furthermore, as the demand for second language writing instruction increases in various parts of the world, more and more mid-career teachers and resesarchers who already have advanced degrees in various other fields are finding themselves in need of entry-level professional development opportunities. In the meantime, there continues to be a growing number of graduate students who wish to develop expertise in second language writing but do have access to established specialists who can act as their mentors.

To address these professionalization issues, this year's Symposium brings together accomplished second language writing teachers and scholars to share experiences and to explore ways to further professionalize second language writing. In addition, a series of workshops will be available to provide professional development opportunities for second language writing specialists at all levels--from beginning graduate students to established scholars.

In other words, this year's Symposium strives to offer something for everyone. On behalf of the members of the Organizing Committe, I look forward to welcoming you once again to Arizona State University and to the Symposium on Second Language Writing.

Paul Kei Matsuda, Founding Chair
Symposium on Second Language Writing

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