The Spilman Symposium on Issues in Teaching Writing is created to bring teachers of writing together for conversations with some of the major scholars in rhetoric and composition studies.

Providing a forum for active engagement of timely issues, the symposium is designed as a think-tank for all faculty who are interested in the teaching of writing, including those involved with writing across the curriculum. The symposium regularly attracts representatives from both two- and four-year institutions in many states—including Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Georgia, Ohio, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Missouri, and Texas—as well as the District of Columbia.

The next Spilman Symposium will be held on Oct. 26, 2019. Further information will be provided soon.

Founded in 1993, the symposium is supported by the Robert S. Spilman, VMI Class of 1896, and Robert S. Spilman, Jr., VMI Class of 1928, Fund for Excellence in Writing, established by Mrs. Samuel R. Sutphin in honor of her father and brother.