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(Santa Barbara, CA)

When I retired from Ventura College as a theater professor, aside from finally enjoying some leisure time, I renewed my association with the South Coast Writing Project at the University of California Santa Barbara, and had the pleasure of serving as a Retuning Fellow for the Summer Institutes in 2014-2018. In the Summer Institute for the Writing Project, we started every day with…well…writing, and I had no idea what to compose. Everyone else seemed to have an abundance of emotional stories; I was stumped. As I sat there wishing I could read a good book rather than have to write something, I reflected on my language arts colleagues’ comments about reading: that many of their students could read, but often lacked an understanding of what they read. How, these teachers wondered, could they improve their students’ reading comprehension? And this conundrum sparked an idea for me: could language arts students learn from the way theatre students read?

As a stage director, I have always known how much theater students learn about a piece of literature when they participate in creating a stage production of it since the rehearsal process is comprised of a variety of strategies that clearly unpack the meaning of text. They don’t “study” the text as they would in an English class, but through participation in the rehearsal process, their comprehension is substantial. How is this possible? What do theater students do in the rehearsal process to illuminate the text?

What I realized is that theater students don’t “study” the text; they inhabit it. They know the meaning of the dialogue because they use the words to achieve their characters’ objectives; they understand the era in which the story is set because they embody its styles, mannerisms, and customs; and they recognize how the sequence of actions in the story builds from the inciting incident through the rising action, the climax, and denouement because they experience it. And thus, I found something to write about—and the seed of a book: defining and simplifying the rehearsal strategies of actors, designers, and directors into a reading approach to facilitate comprehension for all students.

Now getting an academic book published is no easy task, involving, among other tasks, finding a publisher even interested in your work, a proposal process including why you are qualified to write about this topic and how your book will differ from others already published in the field, an annotated table of contents, sample chapters, peer review, many changes, modifications and rewrites, second peer review, more rewrites, extensive work with an editor for syntax and grammar, integrating graphics, and a variety of additional tasks too numerous to mention. But it finally came together as Theater, Drama, and Reading: Transforming the Rehearsal Process into a Reading Process, published by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) December 2021.

It has been a pleasure to have the time in my retirement years to continue the work I started at Ventura College: connecting the wonderful world of theatre to the subject matter of other disciplines. I never thought of myself as a writer, and now I have published a book. Thank you, South Coast Writing Project. I hope my story encourages others to write.

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(Stratford, CT)

NWP is you, me, and the we. From the moment I entered the profession, mentors I looked up to said, "You need to do the NWP summer institute." I did mine in Louisville and the rest is history. I was part of LWP XXI (and legally writing). Interestingly, that was 21 years ago. Every item sketched, doodled, written that summer was a seed planted for my entire career. The 10-minute play festival we began at our school (and then transferred to two other states), the argumentative writing workshops I created for my district, the ongoing support of working and writing with refugee communities, and my interest in working with digital tools began as a prompt offered by a fellow teacher. Teachers teaching teachers - it makes total sense. I soon realized that NWP is a way of being. It's the way I think. It's how I operate. I took my Louisville experiences and completed a doctorate at Syracuse University with a single mission - to one day host a National Writing Project of my own so I could invest in fellow educators. Currently, I direct the Connecticut Writing Project at Fairfield University where our programs serve 1,000s of young people and 100s of teachers each year. NWP is about human togetherness and I learned with them that no writer can be a writer unless they're in a community of fellow writers. We can never emphasize community enough. In order for any individual to achieve their purposes they need to belong in a community of others. I am forever thankful to the investments the NWP network made into my career. It has been the magic that has fueled my career and made me who I am.

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(Boise, ID)

I was in a building that was not collaborative, and I was desperate for connection. I helped start the Boise State Writing Project and my career was transformed. I continued to co-direct, set up and deliver professional development, and assist with ISIs. Later, the state department saw the transformative work we were doing, and I was asked to create it with my amazing Writing Project colleague Rachel Bear. While I declined, the Idaho Coaching Network was born, and more teachers were impacted directly by Writing Project work. I was mentored by Jeff Wilhelm and Jim Fredricksen, which led to publishing opportunities where I could share the writing instruction I was doing in my classroom. I recently finished my doctorate and two of our project directors—Jim Fredricksen and Amber Warrington were on my committee.

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(Warrensburg, MO)

My NWP colleagues have built both my theoretical and practical understanding of writing. But more importantly, they have helped me discover and claim my own identity as a writer and thinker.

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(Grand Rapids, MI)

Odd way to start, but it was a teaching colleague in the San Diego Area Writing Project who recommended I answer the call for an ELA teacher at the school where he taught. I got the job and remained there for eighteen years. It was a teaching colleague from this same Project who suggested I publish, as a children's book, one of the poems written during that summer institute. She funded the project so I could hire an illustrator. It was the theory of Writing to Learn that I learned during this same institute that inspired me to conduct research for a Master's Degree about writing to learn in Math. The university accepted the proposal and eventually conferred the degree based on the written thesis that included a booklet for teachers in math to learn why and how WTL is a valuable tool for teaching in their content area. And, after some two decades, that booklet is the source I'm using with a new math teacher who has been struggling to identify the reasons so many students at her school are having to repeat math classes in order to graduate. As she learns the theory and implements the strategies, she is finding success and less stress for herself and her students. And, based on what I learned about writing as a discipline for articulating personal and professional experiences, I call on NWP fellows who continue to support my writing by contributing to the eight textbooks I've had the privilege of having published by Rowman and Littlefield. In other words, the community of professionals spurs and nurtures one another.

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(Fort Pierce, FL)

After my first year of teaching my principal asked me to take five weeks of my summer vacation to attend the IWP Summer Institute, and I have never looked back. From the institute leaders to my cohort companions, I have developed friends and a support system for developing authentic student voice in the classroom and beyond. As a teacher consultant I have spoken at multiple seminars and workshops ranging from using daily student logs in the classroom to leading writing clubs in three different high schools in two different states. Always knowing that I have a network of like-minded, writing-focused practitioners to turn to has provided the fuel to stay motivated to always teach and develop the writer, not the piece of writing. Whether the state is or isn’t focused on writing outcomes on the high-stakes tests, this network of writers and professional teachers has understood the critical aspect of writing that we must always be striving for in ourselves and our students. I am attempting to pay it forward by offering student and adult writing programs focused on the NWP beliefs and principles, and I have a whole national network of teaching colleagues as backup and to give me expert advice through this endeavor. I call this “living the writing life,” and am able to help others in my current school understand how writing can be a therapeutic way of life because I feel supported by this professional network.

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(Phoenix, AZ)

I developed a network of teaching colleagues who support the discipline of writing by participating in Pathways Project, which was affiliated with the National Writing Project. I collaborated with other English teachers both within my school district and within other districts in Arizona. We were part of a national group of teachers who participated in professional development trainings to improve our teaching of writing instruction in the classroom. Participating in this program allowed me to network and collaborate with other English teachers, and I learned strategies for teaching writing within my classroom. Participating in this project bolstered my teaching of writing and strengthened my communication skills with other English teachers.

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(Savannah, GA)

NCTE has been an anchor for me throughout my career in education. But I never would have even heard of NCTE had it not been for the National Writing Project. I first learned about NCTE and got the inspiration to attend my first Convention during my time at the Central Arizona Writing Project's summer institute. It was also at this summer institute that I first met two of the members of my dissertation committee. Actually, now that I think about it, the third member of my committee presented to that summer institute group, so I guess I owe the entirety of my PhD to the connections I made through the Central Arizona Writing Project. Even as I've moved across the country, the writing project still connects me to new colleagues. My first day of my current job in Savannah, I attended a workshop facilitated by members of the Red Clay Writing Project. I write this having just returned from the 2024 GCTE conference, where I attended sessions with members of the Deep Writing Project. Having been through a writing project summer institute is an experience that connects teachers across geographic and age/experience differences. If I introduce myself as Dr. Shawn Towner, PhD, nobody cares. But if I introduce myself as Shawn Towner, CAWP 2012, I'm certain to make new connections with fellow writing project veterans.

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(Center, ND)

Before attending my first Summer Institute with the National Writing Project, I harbored a misconception that teachers were generally mean, angry, and unhelpful. However, participating in the Summer Institute changed this perspective significantly. It provided me with ample opportunity to interact with fellow educators, which helped me understand that my initial impression was not about their true nature, but rather stemmed from my struggle in transitioning from a college student to a practicing teacher. The experience at the Institute was transformative; without it, I might have abandoned my teaching career, carrying with me a host of negative and unfounded beliefs about teachers and students.

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(Boone, NC)

As a new site director for the Appalachian Mountains Writing Project, I worried that I was in way over my head. However, Connect the Network meetings and correspondence with other WP sites in North Carolina assuaged my fears. Everyone has been incredibly supportive and willing to help. I have never had a question go unanswered.

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(Kennesaw, GA)

Time and time again, my involvement shows me I am not alone. When we are feeling professional frustrations, they can often feel unique to us and isolate us; however, a network opens spaces for conversations where we discover others are facing the same struggles. Identifying that helps move us toward solutions, even if it is just within a smaller professional learning network. It keeps me vitalized professional and sustains my professional motivation.

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(Santa Barbara, CA)

It was Writing Project that popularized Peter Elbow's Freewriting and Ken Macrorie's I-Search Paper that I did in my first college English class at the local community college. At that point I didn't even know my major, let alone what kind of work I would do. It was Writing Project that shaped the junior high class where I volunteered when I needed units one semester. It was Writing Project that ran the teacher education program I attended. It was Writing Project that hired me for my first job after that year. It was Writing Project that recruited me back to the best high school where I ever taught. It was Writing Project that told me to come to grad school. It was Writing Project that got me through and then my first professorship. It was Writing Project that got me back to California. In short, it was Writing Project that made me a teacher. Of course, when I say "Writing Project" I mean people, both particular individuals and the collective group of dedicated, curious teachers who encouraged me to write, ask questions, answer others, and lead from the classroom.

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(Leeds, MA)

I joined the Western Massachusetts Writing Project in my first year of teaching, and it proved to be the most consequential decision I made in the early part of my career. I learned how to teach writing from mentor teachers in our WMWP network, and then tapped into the larger National Writing Project for even deeper connections. Although I was a journalist before I became a teacher, the art of reaching young students to engage them in inquiry through "writing to learn" was something I also had to learn, and it was NWP's guiding philosophy of "teachers teaching teachers" that has set the tone for my career. I was fortunate, as well, to become part of the early adoption of technology and digital media as it related to thinking about the act of writing in the age of screens. Through NWP's many initiatives-- such as the Connected Learning MOOC (CLMOOC), Tech Matters, Digital Is, Write Out and other activities -- I worked with others on exploring the expanding the notions of composition. It has been through that work with technology and NWP that my own network has expanded greatly, from local teachers in Western Massachusetts to educators across the entire country, and even to other parts of the world.

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(Lafayette, LA)

In 2013 I entered the “Writing Project World” with two years of teaching under my belt and participated in the summer institute (SI) with the National Writing Project of Acadiana (NWP-A). Since then, I have continued to be part of my NWP site, while also expanding my teaching network to other NWP sites—including the NWP in the South regional network. Ultimately, my NWP experiences and the people I have met along the way have helped me to grow as a researcher, teacher, writer, and human. To this day, I still say the NWP-A SI was the best professional development (PD) ever! Through this experience, I became part of a community with those I went through the summer with, as well as other teacher consultants who came before me. I was introduced to educators who had similar passions, interests, and goals as I did and was challenged to think more, write more, and be more. After that initial summer, I stayed involved with NWP-A as much as I could—attending writing marathons each summer, writing workshops, and informal gatherings. As the years continued, I was asked to co-lead PD sessions and became more involved with the leadership team. Today, I am the NWP-A Site Director! What I thought would be four weeks and some graduate school credit has turned into a lifetime of work (in the best way!) and countless opportunities I never even imagined when I was that newbie teacher. In addition to developing a network of colleagues locally, I have been welcomed into the NWP in the South regional network. Thanks to long-time NWP Site Directors, Ellen Shelton and Rebecca Kaminski, who have worked to connect regional sites, I have gotten to know the broader NWP community. This has resulted in several cross-site partnerships including presenting with NWP colleagues about ways to create new literacy pathways for post-secondary success, creating a project that brings together young writers and shelter pets to write animal bios, and being asked to contribute to an English Journal article about the importance of having a regional Writing Project community.

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(Blue Bell, PA)

I have grown as a teacher and a writer through my involvement with the National Writing Project. Initially, I was drawn to the NWP through the Write Out initiative, which is a two-week time frame dedicates to placed-based writing and the outdoors. I was drawn primarily by the culmination of two things I love dearly, writing and nature. I joined the Write Now Teacher studio and gained access to resources and this also led to my connection with other colleagues that harness the same joy in teaching writing. Since participating in Write Out two years ago I've been gifted a network of colleagues from different parts of the country, all who share my passion for poetry, writing, and the great outdoors. This nurturing network has led to me being asked to join the leadership planning team for Write Out as well as presenting with NWP colleagues at NCTE 2023. In addition to that, I had the honor of interviewing award-winning poet and author Nikki Grimes through my partnership with NWP and the Write Out Leadership Team. This experience was incredible and I had the pleasure of interviewing Ms. Grimes through the Write Tyme Podcast with NWP. This partnership also enabled me to interview the Birmingham Civil Rights Monument Staff and National Park Staff along with NWP partners. This was impactful and moving, as I had the opportunity to share poetry and dialogue about eco-poetry which interviewing participants.

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(West Chester, PA)

The virtual "teacher studio" and the in-person events embedded at NCTE help me connect with other Writing Project Directors. At my own site, we maintain a newsletter, event schedule, a spring conference, and a summer institute. All of those participants connect me to the teaching of writing.

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(Clarkston, MI)

Through my work with the Chippewa River Writing Project, I have been able to make connections with other teachers across the country, particularly with the individuals in the Dig Deeper Fall Inquiry group at the University of Philadelphia. I participated in their inquiry group on digital discourse between students in the English classroom and met together as a group every couple of weeks.

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(Stamford, CT)

I have been a reader and a writer since I can remember, but my path to teaching was not straightforward. After many years of pursuing a life as a poet and intellectual (I cringe to say it, but that is what I was trying to do) and having started many projects attempting to gather people for the sake of writing and creating art, I found myself as a first year Middle School Teacher. Actually, I wasn't a first year teacher yet- I was a long-term substitute. A teaching coach in my building observed me opening a writing unit for my students in which I told them how powerful and awesome writing was and shared an embarrassing fun fact about myself (I used to write Harry Potter Fanfiction for many years of middle and high school). She immediately recommended I apply for the Connecticut Writing Workshop. I was nervous as I hadn't even begun 'teaching' yet, but I was excited about the prospect. My time at CWP did not disappoint. I got to meet and work with teachers of all levels of experience who came from a diverse range of schools and communities, and I produced some of my favorite writing to this day. Now that I am officially a first-year teacher, I've realized how easy it is to feel discouraged in our profession. There are always new initiatives to adopt and protocols to implement, and some days, my job is less about teaching reading and writing and more about doing exactly what I'm told. On those days, I think back to the creativity and excitement we all shared during the summer workshop. I have pulled from our lessons and brought them into my classroom only to see my students open up and get excited about stuff they never thought they would enjoy (poetry). I now have a group of people to turn to when I need something to inspire myself, and my students. I am so grateful to Bryan and Julie for being our fearless leaders and to all of the teachers I worked with over the summer - it is an experience that has sustained me and will continue for many years to come.