Tiffany Rousculp T omorrow morning, I'm planning to talk with an old friend I haven't seen for nearly two decades. It's become commonplace to reach out like this during the COVID-19 pandemic; perhaps it's a kind of inventorying of our lives while we move through the months of uncertainty, reckoning, fear, loss, and more uncertainty. Along with many others, I've been building digital connections with people I used to (and still) love.

This article describes the development of a community writing and publishing program, the DiverseCity Writing Series, from 1998 to 2005. Starting as a one-time workshop between a community college English service-learning course and a local women’s advocacy organization, the DiverseCity Writing Series has grown into a year-round partnership between the SLCC Community Writing Center and multiple organizations throughout the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. This mutually beneficial collaboration for the college and the community has been achieved through critical inquiry regarding issues of ownership and discourse as well as the dedication of community members and organizational partners.