Generosity in computers and writing: Doing what Gail, Halcyon, Johndan, and Bill Taught Us

Abstract

This article offers stories of generosity in computers and writing studies. Inspired by the 2024 Computers and Writing Conference Opening Town Hall, this article considers the foundational role generosity plays in the practices of the field. Specifically, we share our stories of Gail E. Hawisher, Halcyon Lawrence, Johndan Johnson-Eilola, and Bill Hart-Davidson to memorialize how they have contributed to our thinking about generosity in the work that we do and highlight some lessons for generosity that we hope we, as a field, might bear in mind moving forward. Together, we understand a call for generosity as a call for collaboration, inclusivity, curiosity, and giving. We conclude by offering these four tenets explicated from the scholarship, memories, and stories of the lives of Gail, Halcyon, Johndan, and Bill as a way to understand, negotiate, and practice generosity.