Over the past twenty-five years, most post-secondary institutions in the United States have established facilities known as writing centers, although sometimes they are called writing "labs," or writing "rooms." One writing center may he enclosed in a large glass building nestled in a redwood forest, where students and tutors confer with one another in spacious, well-lit study spaces. Another may be housed in a converted, under-sized classroom, furnished with only a battered table and a shabby sofa. Whatever their physical characteristics, writing centers are now recognized as playing a vital role in the teaching of writing, one that is as pedagogically significant as that of the composition classroom. The following scenarios embody what I perceive as the essence of the writing center approach and provide a graphic representation of "why writing centers matter." Over the past twenty-five years, most post-secondary institutions in the United States have established facilities known as writing centers, although sometimes they are called writing "labs," or writing "rooms." One writing center may he enclosed in a large glass building nestled in a redwood forest, where students and tutors confer with one another in spacious, well-lit study spaces. Another may be housed in a converted, under-sized classroom, furnished with only a battered table and a shabby sofa. Whatever their physical characteristics, writing centers are now recognized as playing a vital role in the teaching of writing, one that is as pedagogically significant as that of the composition classroom. The following scenarios embody what I perceive as the essence of the writing center approach and provide a graphic representation of "why writing centers matter."