WKU News

Western Kentucky University’s Professional Writing (PW) Club, sometimes affectionately referred to as the “p-dub” club, is a club “dedicated to providing [students with] opportunities to listen to and meet with individuals and businesses” (WKU English, Professional Writing Club) in the technical writing profession. The PW Club is also unique in that it is administered by WKU English alumni who work for a local firm. This firm, KirkpatrickPrice (KP), is a cybersecurity auditing firm with an office in downtown Bowling Green. KP’s team of computer scientists analyze client software and input their critiques into a company portal. These critiques are then formatted into official audit reports by the writing department.

 Currently, this writing department employs approximately 12 WKU English alumni. The relationship between WKU English and KirkpatrickPrice is a long-standing one, beginning in 2005 when Joseph Kirkpatrick, owner of KirkpatrickPrice, noticed that the reports being generated were not adapted for the clientele and inefficient. He approached Dr. Angela Jones of the Professional Writing Program for recommendations of professional writers who could intern with KP and optimize these audit reports.

On Jones’ recommendation, KirkpatrickPrice provided internships for undergraduates and then began employing students after they graduated, and a relationship was formed. This relationship was so beneficial that the PW Club was created.

Once a month, KirkpatrickPrice staff hold a meeting for WKU students and faculty where they discuss challenges and lessons that they have experienced while working in a professional writing position. The October 2024 meeting discussed how to be an effective communicator in professional spaces with anecdotes from KP staff on not only the times when they were good communicators, but also the times in which they were not. There were also presentations from several staff members of tips and tricks they had learned throughout their time at KP. While the agenda of the meeting is pre-planned, there is always built-in time for questions or comments from students and as university alumni themselves, they are unfailingly punctual with student’s time. The PW Club meetings are always informative and valuable, as they give students real advice from professionals in the technical writing field.

The current administrator of PW club, Mara Lowhorn, credits the club for expanding her interest in both professional writing and KP as a workplace. Lowhorn earned her bachelor’s in English with a concentration in creative writing from WKU in 2020, going on to earn a master’s in English in 2022, also from WKU. Studying these different concentrations within the English department helped Lowhorn to train her adaptability and creativity. “Grammar is difficult” as Lowhorn said, and the ability to write for a specific audience and interpret technical language for the clients is an extremely sought-after skill in professional writing spaces.

 As a student, Lowhorn had the chance to connect with current KP staff “on LinkedIn, at English events, [and] at the PW Club meetings.” Due to these connections, Lowhorn said that starting at KP was not as intimidating as imagined. In contrast, “there is a familial, welcoming” atmosphere at KP and the writing department staff “would definitely call each other friends.” Along with future coworkers, the PW Club gave her the opportunity to connect with other students, since they “had classes together, were in the same clubs, knew each other’s names.” 

Lowhorn offers this advice for current students: “get involved.” WKU, PCAL, and the English Department, have many clubs, internships, and skill-developing opportunities available; of which, the Professional Writing Club is surely one of the most valuable.