Basic Writing and Disciplinary Maturation: How Chance Conversations Continue to Shape the Field

<p>Thirty years ago, Maxine Hairston observed that disciplinary shifts in writing studies occur not gradually but rather due to revolutionary "paradigm shifts." Perhaps. But even as the discipline has grown, chance encounters, collaborations rooted in friendship, conversations and coffees, and the discovery of mutual acquaintances have continued to roles. The subfield we call basic writing has maintained an ethos informed by these "small moments, "and even as the subfield has matured in the last fifteen years, we have collectively stayed small and ought to continue fostering an atmosphere that is paradoxically mature also serendipitous, friendly, and even informal. This article is about BW's burgeoning (sub-) disciplinary maturity. In equal part, though, we tell our own stories, and reflect on how that engagement has been, ultimately arguing that the BW community continue to foster and expand serendipitous engagement.</p>