The interviews in this article were conducted during Fall 2025 semester, and the Art of Writing classes referenced are from that semester.
A student’s cursor hovers over a Google Doc; sitting in a Zoom room, the student and her writing tutor have just finished rereading the student’s essay prompt and reviewing the corresponding text. Having completed the first step, the two turn to the student’s essay, when the Tutor pauses at a line midway through the draft. “What do you mean by this sentence?” the Tutor asks. After a moment’s thought, the student says, “I’m not sure.”
“Are you trying to convey compassion here?” the Tutor prompts.
The student smiles — a breakthrough. “Yeah…yeah! That’s what I intended. How can I make that happen?”
The Art of Writing’s Tutoring and Writing Fellows Program supports undergraduates across campus. Upper-level majors serve as Tutors, offering 30-minute sessions for all students enrolled in Reading & Composition courses. They assist students at all stages of the writing process.
Writing Fellows, in contrast, serve within specific undergraduate courses they have already completed. They host workshops and personal office hours to help students develop as writers in their respective fields of study. Both programs connect experienced student writers with their peers as they collaboratively experiment with language as an art and a tool.
When students attend evening tutoring sessions or settle into classrooms with embedded Writing Fellows, the conversation that unfolds doesn’t strictly pertain to syntax or thesis statements. There is no “big red pen” making X’s. Instead, the discussions focus on clarity, confidence, and craft — helping students learn to think like writers while creating space for an ongoing conversation about writing.
That philosophy is reflected in the Tutors and Fellows themselves, whose voices echo the program’s mission.
Sarah on Mutual Growth
Sarah Adler, a senior double majoring in Micro Cell Biology and English, first joined the program last fall after seeing a call for Tutors in the English Department: “I’d tutored before — back in high school. I used to help elementary school kids with math, which was really cute … But English just feels more natural to me. With writing, I feel like I have a better sense of what to say and how to ask the right questions, like, ‘What are you trying to say here?’ or ‘How does this quote support your claim?’ … And, I enjoy editing.” Now, over a year later, she’s still tutoring three hours a week and “loving it.”
Outside of tutoring, Sarah dedicates much of her time to research in her MCB lab and serves as an editor in Atrium, a creative writing club geared toward STEM students. This mix of STEM and writing can be hectic at times, but overall she “feels balanced.” The Art of Writing embraces and encourages that blend of interdisciplinary study.
In her tutoring sessions, Sarah primarily works with Reading & Composition students on analytical and research-based writing, including “things like thesis development, integrating secondary sources, and structuring arguments.” She emphasized collaboration in her approach to tutoring: “If I get the essay in advance, I’ll read it and leave comments both on grammar and bigger-picture things like logic and flow. During the session, I’ll share my screen and go through comments together with the student. We’ll talk through ways to strengthen claims and clarify analysis. I always ask if they have specific questions too,” she explains. “It’s really about working together.”
This collaboration is what keeps her coming back. “Honestly, it’s just really fun to meet people,” she remarks, “They come in with fresh ideas and creativity. It’s exciting to see how different people think and write.” She also enjoys the variety of classes she can work with, since R1A and R1B span so many departments: “I end up reading essays on everything from literature to Marxism. I probably haven’t read half the texts students write about, but that makes it fun.”
One of Sarah’s favorite moments came when a student, whose essay was initially bogged down by summaries, learned to shift from paraphrase to critical analysis. At the end of the session, the student told her, “I really know where I’m going now,” Sarah recalls. “That’s the most rewarding part — when someone feels confident and less lost after a lesson.”
Not only has she impacted students’ writing, tutoring has also impacted the way she writes. “I’ve become more aware of fundamentals, like checking if my thesis is actually a claim, making sure my topic sentences connect logically, and tying my analysis back to my main argument.” Tutoring also made her realize that what may make sense to her doesn’t always make sense to others. So she now knows that “It’s okay to be explicit, to ‘say the quiet part out loud.’ What’s obvious to you might not be to your reader.”
She describes the program as “relaxing,” much to my surprise. To which she explains, “It’s structured, details are everywhere, but in a calm, steady way.”
Ultimately, Sarah sees the Art of Writing Tutoring program as a place of mutual growth, for students as much as Tutors. “We get great mentorship and opportunities to refine our Tutoring skills, learning not just what to suggest, but how–we learn from each other.”
Ava on Thoughtful Curiosity
For Ava Ratcliff, a senior majoring in Greek and Latin and Comparative Literature, tutoring feels like a continuation of the work she’s loved since before arriving at Berkeley.
“Growing up, I worked at my family’s bookstore, so being in that environment made me really appreciate literature,” she explains. “Working at author events, I got to meet inspiring writers who made me imagine pursuing a similar path.”
Before college, she served with AmeriCorps as a fifth-grade math and English teaching assistant. That experience, along with her childhood, affirmed her desire to keep teaching, and now, as a Tutor in the Art of Writing program for three semesters, she’s found a space to do that. She hopes to become a professor, so she sees Tutoring as excellent practice.
Her tutoring philosophy centers on listening: “I think it’s really important that the student talks more than I do … I see myself as a sounding board to help them develop their thoughts.” She further explains, “I usually start by asking them to explain their prompt or goal, and then I ask questions. The form of their essay often is the message, so I try to help them see that.”
Ava describes her sessions as student-driven. “It depends on where the student is in their writing process. Some come to brainstorm, and for that, we might close-read a paragraph together and take notes on what stands out. Others come with fluid drafts, and I’ll ask what they like to focus on.” She especially loves when students come up with insights she hadn’t considered, and when “they feel excited and empowered to take creative risks in their writing.”
Like many Tutors, Ava finds that tutoring has changed how she writes. “Working with students helps me notice patterns in my own writing and refine my revision process. It helped me develop a better internal editor.”
But most of all, tutoring has prompted her to stay curious. “Every student interprets things differently, and it’s rewarding to see how meaning is created through those perspectives. Tutoring has made me more curious about the different ways a text can be approached.”
That curiosity prompted her to discuss an ongoing issue she sees shaping writing today: artificial intelligence. For Ava, the challenges posed by AI aren’t just about academic integrity, but also about belief in the human capacity for thought.
“AI has, in a way, made people feel insecure about their ability to think creatively. But every person’s insights are more interesting than what a machine can produce. AI robs us of the chance to develop our own ideas, which is what education is all about.”
The Art of Writing Tutoring program goes beyond just helping students polish essays by sustaining shared curiosity and reminding students that their ideas matter. As Ava best puts it, “the biggest thing you can bring [to Tutoring] is intellectual humility — knowing you can improve your own ideas while helping others improve theirs.”
Evan on Gaining New Perspectives
Evan Cray, a fourth-year English major and Creative Writing minor, has been a Writing Fellow for two semesters. Last semester, he worked with Professor Goodman in English 118: Milton, a class he took as a freshman. “She was the one who recommended me and then requested me for her class. It was nice to return to it from a new perspective.”
This semester, Evan is working outside the English Department, in ESPM 162A: Health, Medicine, Society, and Environment. “The class is about inequality and the body,” he explains, “Seeing how writing functions in totally different disciplines has been really interesting.”
Evan describes Writing Fellows as undergraduate GSIs, but without the grading. ESPM 162A, has about 80 students, and Evan balances his time between working with his co-Fellow Riley, meeting with the professor, Seth Holmes (whom he describes as “wonderful”), and holding office hours.
He noticed that while “students in that class weren’t thrilled about the amount of writing at first … as they worked through different types of assignments, they started realizing that writing can be a tool for expression, not just a requirement. Seeing that shift has been really rewarding.”
The Art of Writing Fellowship, Evan adds, has deepened his understanding of drafting, revising, and formulating ideas out of one’s mind and onto the page. “Before this, my process was mostly independent,” he said, “but working with students has shown me the value of talking through ideas out loud.” This realization captures two of the program’s core values: that ideas grow stronger when shared, and that conversation itself can be a part of the writing process.
That lesson is especially relevant for Evan, as most of his time outside the classroom revolves around words. “My main focus is fiction writing. My goal is to be an author. I’m in one of the creative writing workshops right now, so most of my time goes towards that and any other personal projects. It’s pretty much writing all day,” he smiles.
Even though fiction is his passion, he sees significant overlap between the different modes of writing he partakes in as a Fellow. “Even academic and op-ed writing still involves narrative — it’s about expressing an idea or passion clearly. That connection has helped my fiction, too, because both rely on using language to convey meaning effectively.”
Ultimately, he thanks the Fellow experience for adding something new to every semester and for facilitating his immersion in new perspectives. “It’s nice to step outside of my own writing and help others with theirs — it’s almost therapeutic in a way.”
Mia on Reigniting the Creative Spark
Mia Call, a fourth-year Comparative Literature major and English minor, has served as a Writing Fellow for two semesters — first in an English course on cults, and now in an East Asian Languages and Cultures class entitled Knowing Others and Being Known, which she describes as a “creative writing class, with lots of readings and reflections on how you represent yourself.”
Her first Fellowship was “experimental.” “It was the professor’s first time having a Writing Fellow,” she explains. “I met with her and the GSIs, and we decided I’d host one big writing workshop after students got their first grades back. That was my main task. About 30 of 40 students joined via Zoom, and it was collaborative and focused on improving their essays in a unique genre called the ‘cult brief.’” That workshop turned out to be one of Mia’s favorite memories.
“I was so nervous because it was my first time leading something like that, but it was so collaborative and open,” she shares.
This semester, Mia’s role looks entirely different. “There are two of us — me and another fellow, Malia. We each hold two office hours a week, and we attend classes on Fridays for workshop-style discussions. Students are required to come to at least three office hours total throughout the semester.”
Although holding office hours and participating in workshops has increased Mia’s workload, her experience has been deeply rewarding. “It’s given me a new way to interact with classes — not just as a student, but someone helping others learn.” Her experience as a Fellow has also prompted her to consider teaching as a career, since the role is so hands-on. “I’ve always been drawn to teaching, specifically teaching English or Writing. Right now, I think I want to be a community college professor in English or Comparative Literature. That ties in really closely with the Fellow role — learning how to give feedback on writing.”
As someone who has served as a Fellow for two different classes, she’s learned how “hard it is to give constructive feedback.” She credits the cult class in particular for making her reflect on what makes good writing.
Mia’s creative world is vibrant, even outside of academics. She works at KALX, Berkeley’s campus radio station, and plays in a band, which ties into her love for writing. “I wrote a lot of creative pieces in high school, and in college, I’ve done more radio and journalism-type stuff.”
Indeed, Mia’s Fellowship has rekindled her creative writing spark. “The current class I’m a Fellow for has inspired me to get back into creative writing — it’s fun to see everyone’s different approaches.”
When asked to describe her role as a Fellow in three words, she pauses before saying, “Thinking about Writing.” It’s a fitting summary not just of her own experience but also of a central theme uniting Art of Writing programs.
Conclusion
Across every story — from Tutors like Sarah and Ava to Fellows such as Evan and Mia — whether through one-on-one Tutoring or embedded classroom work, the Art of Writing program promotes writing as a shared act of thinking. It creates a space where writing isn’t just an assignment, it’s a conversation, and a ground for connection.
For Tutors, that means helping students build confidence in their voices and reminding them that they already have the ability to generate their own original ideas. For Fellows, the goal is to guide peers through the messy process of writing and to discover new ways of teaching along the way.
Together, both programs embody Art of Writing’s central mission to make writing a communal practice — one that deepens students’ understanding of the craft and encourages them to explore the ideas, topics, and themes that shape their work.
Through “thinking about writing,” the Tutoring and Writing Fellows Program extends beyond the page by creating a community where thinking in general thrives.