TWENTY MORE YEARS IN THE WPA’S PROGRESS

Who is a WPA? Several years ago, the popular WPA-L listserv carried a thread initiated by Sid Dobrin called “You might be a WPA if…,” a riff on Jeff Foxworthy’s signature joke, “You might be a redneck if….” Though the thread prompted a number of hilarious responses-“You might be a WPA if… you develop ‘grocery store outcomes’ instead of shopping lists”; "… you ever find yourself quoting Ed White in casual conversation with your neighbors”; "… you treat your family budget as if it will be cut in half any minute”¹-it also captured an important truth: WPA is not just a job title, but a way of being. A WPA’s work is not defined only by the official or formal responsibilities of the role but also by how those responsibilities are carried out. How does this WPA identity emerge? How does it develop? How has it changed over the years, and how might it change in the future?.