In the Archives: NCoW Celebrates Writing!

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After NCTE’s first National Day on Writing, NCoW asked WPA members to “Tell Us about your National Day on Writing.”

The National Day on Writing has come and gone; but the spirit that inspired it, we hope, is still with us. Here’s one way to keep that spirit alive:

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One day is not enough to celebrate literacy; let’s keep the momentum going by sharing the various celebrations of Oct 20th and ideas for making each day in the future a “day on writing.” We hope you’ll join in with this important WPA initiative. [more]

NCoW received a variety of contributions we hope to feature as part of our upcoming campaign: writing worth celebrating!

Here’s a preview:

From Neumann University in Ashton, Pennsylvania . . .

Gail Corso reflects upon her experiences with the National Day on Writing, from planning to goals to the day’s activities to lessons for next year’s NDoW. Of particular interest for us were the powerful ways in which a community got together to write together. A young girl suffering from a terminal illness had requested a Special Gift of Writing, and NDoW provided the opportunity. Corso and her team shared the story and the supplies, and Neumann University came together to deliver writing to this special girl. Her story teaches me something extraordinary about writing: writing is powerful, community-building, tangible, ongoing. This National Day on Writing is one Neumann University is unlikely to forget. After reading Corso’s reflections, neither will you. Take a look [pdf].

From University of Tennessee-Knoxville

UT-Knoxville celebrated NDoW with UT Writes, a powerful call across the campus to “express yourself,” which Jenn Fishman captured on camera and contributed to the National Conversation on Writing. Through her lens, Fishman shows us the lively, interactive, and socially-oriented dimension of NDoW with multiple, hands-on activities.

Check out the archives for more from NDoW at UT-Knoxville [jpg]. Thanks, Jenn!

From Michigan State University-Flint

Stephanie Roach celebrated the NDoW in the classroom with an empowering and interesting assignment that responds directly to the House Resolution on NDoW itself. As Stephanie describes it,

In Fall and Winter semesters I had first year students taking our first semester writing course read the House Resolution on the National Day on Writing as the assignment for the second day of class, and we discussed the endorsed professional view of what makes writing important. Student readily agreed that writing was important but felt that writing was not always that easy. So the class built their own resolution. Students jotted down their ideas on a notecard in the form: Whereas {insert statement about why you think writing is important}, But whereas {insert statement about why you think writing is hard}. Every student came to the front of the room, introduced themselves, and shared their part of the resolution on the document camera.

View student responses at the NCoW archives. Insightful, important, powerful.

From Eastern Michigan University

For years, the First-Year Writing Program at Eastern Michigan University has served as a model for many of us determined to celebrate writing in public and across the campus. The National Day on Writing at EMU extended that ongoing celebration even more. You have to see this! Linda Adler-Kassner contributed EMU’s informative NDoW website, which presents an array of participants’ displays including writings, interviews, and photos. Participants had the opportunity to engage in writing activities such as Writing Marathons, Writing Corps, and Roving Reporters. By all accounts, this first EMU celebration of the National Day on Writing was a success. Available in the NCoW archives [htm]. Take a look!

The above National Day on Writing website is also a part of NCTE’s National Gallery of Writing.

So how did you celebrate the first National Day on Writing? How will you celebrate the next? NCoW wants to know!

–Shannon Carter (Coordinator for the NCoW Archives at Texas A&M-Commerce)

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Texas A&M-Commerce is proud to serve as host for the official NCoW archives. View the archives at our Digital Collections.

NCoW.org/site is hosted by Glenn Blalock at Comppile.org. While Texas A&M-Commerce has no direct access to the site, we work closely with CompPile to deliver your contributions and ideas. Please keep them coming!

For questions about the National Conversation on Writing, contact NCoW Chair Dominic DelliCarpini (dcarpini@ycp.edu) or Network for Media Action Chair Darsie Bowden (dbowden@depaul.edu).

March 13th, 2010 | shannon_carter | In the Archives, News | tags: celebration, National Day on Writing | No comments »

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