Don’t try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It’s the one and only thing you have to offer. —Barbara Kingsolver

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THE

NEWSLETTER OF

CWP-FAIRFIELD

This year’s Institutes featured presentations by young adult author Sara Darer Littman and award-winning poet and local teacher Jack Powers.

With support from Bank of America, CWP-Fa i r f i e ld Young Wr i te r s ’ Institutes hosted a record number of youth representing the diversity and creativity of southern Connecticut. The summer a l so marked the introduction of a first-ever Young(er)

Writers’ Institute for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. Led by retired teacher Christal Ferrandino, who was assisted by graduate student Emily Sawyer, the Young(er) Writers’ Institute was animated by the vivid imaginations of its participants. CWP-Fairfield will replicate the model next summer to accommodate the many middle school students who identify themselves as writers, regardless of age or grade.

The young writers in all the Institutes focused on the kinds of creative and meaningful writing required in the real world. The highlight of the first

session was the introduction of Shaun Mitchel l ’s a l ter-ego, Chocolate Thunder, who emerged during a spirited and hilarious improvisational

inside engaged............Summer Writing Camps 2014 2

.........ISI Hosts a South African Guest 2.............Teen Writers Find Inspiration 4

........................Hope for the Flowers 6.........................CWP Goes Digital 10

Mirum: Vivamus est ipsum, vehicula nec, feugiat rhoncus, accumsan id, nisl. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer

Fall 2013

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Two of the YWI’s outstanding writers, Jenasia Shuler and Judith Suffrard

Young Writers’ Institutes ’13: Summertime and the Writin’ Is Easy

The 2013 CWP Invitational Summer Institute for Teachers Hosts a Guest from South AfricaThe Connecticut Writing Project at Fairfield University hosted South African educator Beauty Makinta at its 2013 Summer Invitational Institute, an intensive four-week course on writing and teaching writing in the 21st century. Ms. Makinta was one of three educators brought to the United States with support from the U.S. Embassy and the Regional Language Office of Pretoria. She attended the Institute along with 11 local educators, representing eight school districts across Southern Connecticut.

The Institute’s guiding principals—that teachers learn best from other teachers and that the best writing instruction comes from teachers who are writers themselves—are promoted each summer, as invited teachers learn from other professionals

the best practices for teaching writing. Makinta’s own writing covered several genres, including memoir, poetry, scriptwriting, and a professional article. In addition, she prepared a teacher demonstration/workshop on literature circles. “My hope is to support the National Writing Project model in South Africa,” Makinta explained. To this end, she will report to the Department of Education in Pretoria what she learned from her four-week stay at Fairfield University. “My time in Connecticut has been amazing. In order to be a teacher of writing, I must see myself as a writer, too.”

Makinta’s summer included a visit to Enders Island, home to Fairfield’s MFA in Creative Writing low-residency program; breakfast with outsider artist Gordon Skinner; a trip to New York City and the 9/11 Memorial; and dancing with friends at the beach. In addition to her contribution to the Institute, Makinta and Director Bryan Ripley Crandall shared their reflections about the cultural and academic exchange program on the National Writing Project radio (to hear the interview see the pink box on page 8 of this newsletter).

South African educator Beauty Makinta, whose intelligence and wit is matched only by her sartorial style.

YOUNG WRITERS’I N S T I T U T E S

2 0 1 4The CWP-Fairfield writing camps for students are back, and they’re better than ever. In order to reflect our new focus on writing in, for, and about the world, we’ve renamed the Institute. Stay tuned for more information on the 2014 Young Adult Literacy Labs, y’all...

I N V I TAT I O N A L

S U M M E RINSTITUTE

2 0 1 4For teachers who are writers, there is no better place than the Invitational Summer Institute. Our monthlong program for teachers is a critical component of the National Writing Project’s mission to improve writing and learning for all learners.

continued on page 3

Makinta was especially impressed by CWP’s Young Writers’ Institutes, which were held concurrently with the Summer Invitational. They included two, two-week sessions for 6th through 12th graders, as well as a program for younger writers in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades. Of the oldest students who attended, Makinta said, “The maturity of the high school writers amazed me. They were very aware of what they wanted to write, what they can write, and what they hope to write.” Makinta also hopes to bring the Young Writers’ Institute model back to her district. “I think writing is the answer for children in South Africa, too. It has tremendous promise.”

Of his own experience as host, Dr. Crandall reported, “It was an honor to have Beauty Makinta at Fairfield University. She brought an irreplaceable perspective to conversations that need to be heard about local and global education.” Crandall commented further that teaching writing in the 21st century is complicated, especially for teachers who work in communities of poverty, where schools are underfunded, and when support is limited. “As Jonathan Kozol wrote in Shame of the Nation, apartheid exists in the U.S. educational system, too. I think the inequality among school districts in Connecticut surprised our guest from South Africa because she didn’t anticipate the similarities. It seems that education is not a fair playing field anywhere.”

When asked to name a particular highlight of the summer, Dr. Crandall instantly responded that on July 18th, Nelson Mandela’s birthday, Makinta helped both teachers and students celebrate by sharing a South African tradition. On the day of Mandela’s birthday, South Africans, and indeed people all over the world, volunteer in service to others for 67 minutes, one for each of the years of service Mandela gave to his country. “At Beauty’s urging, we asked our teachers and young writers to list 67 things they could do to give back to their communities,” acknowledged Crandall. “The lists they made were absolutely inspirational, and the whole day felt fueled by Beauty’s energy and spirit. Having her with us made this summer’s Institutes even more special,” reflected Crandall. “I am a better man for knowing Beauty Makinta and for the wisdom she shared with us.”

A South African Guest cont.

Beauty and her colleagues at the 2013 ISI show how excited they are about writing.

Summertime and the Writin’ Is Easy cont.

exercise devised by Director Bryan Ripley Crandall. Instructor Ali Laturnau, who teaches English at Bedford Middle School in Westport when she’s not planning lunch dates with Snooki, proved to be equally gifted in the dramatic arts. Her personal essay about the trials and tribulations of being a freckled girl served as a mentor text for students writers’ own personal narratives. Ali also gave a well-received presentation on multi-genre composing to the teachers in the Invitational Summer Institute, which took place across the hall from the young writers’ summer program. Veteran instructor Justine Domuracki, an English teacher at Central Middle School in Greenwich, shared her ideas about student conferences with the teachers of the ISI and provided a link to CWP-Fairfield’s longstanding tradition of mentoring young writers.

Second session participants were treated to instructor Tony Mangano’s passion for memoirs and to several fish tales—some of which may even have been true. Along with the polish they put on their individual literary styles, the writers of the second session demonstrated a flair for fashion. As a group, they organized a flashmob fashion day at Fairfield, appearing in the by contrast drab halls of Canisius decked out to the nines. It was evidence, if any further evidence were needed, of the innate creativity of all the writers of the Young Writers’ Institutes.

Aspiring Bridgeport Teen Writers Find Inspiration at Fairfield UniversityBy Meredith Guinness—More than 115 Bridgeport students in grades 8 through 12 bolstered writing skills and considered life beyond high school at Writing Our Lives-Bridgeport, a May 21 workshop organized by the Connecticut Writing Project-Fairfield. The daylong event, which featured notable speakers from a wide variety of writing genres, was sponsored, in part, by Bank of America.CWP Director Bryan Ripley Crandall, Ph.D., an assistant professor in Fairfield’s Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions, organized the event based on similar conferences held in Syracuse, New York. “Students often want more opportunities to write in real-world ways,” Crandall said, “but schools currently provide test-only instruction because of the demands of state assessments.” He brought the program to Connecticut after collaborating with Marcelle Haddix. Ph.D., at Syracuse University to host similar conferences. “Dr. Haddix and I wanted to act on what young people were telling us and to give them more opportunities to have their voices heard.”The Writing Our Lives-Bridgeport conference offered students several chances to be in charge of their learning, said Azaria Drakeford, an academic advisor from Yale-Bridgeport GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) who brought students to campus. “We decided it was really important for them to come,” she said. “It’s not so much ‘this is what you have to write.’ Instead, students chose sessions that interested them.”

Photo caption here

Recommended ReadingCopies of the 2013 Young Writers’ Institute anthology, Power of Words, are available for purchase.

This year, the anthology is bigger and better than ever! The 126-page, perfect bound book has a little bit of everything between the covers: a little poetry, a little adventure, a little sci fi, a little romance, and a whole lot of great writing.

To order copies, please call or email Ellen Israel at:(203) 254-4000, ext. 3124or cwp@fairfield.edu.

Artist manager Bob Albert works with a Bridgeport student at the 2013 Writing Our Lives conference.

P W

P O W E R O F W O R D S

O!

!e an!ology

2 0 1 3

P O W E R O F W O R D S

“The Young Writer’s Institute is what school wants to be but can’t.”

Every summer on the campus of Fairfield University, young writers gather together to write, to think about writing, and to be a part of a community of writers. They are led through the exciting, difficult, sometimes maddening, and always rewarding process of writing by a group of dedicated teachers, all of whom are writers themselves.

“The people here love to write as much as you do, and they take it seriously.”

“The Young Writer’s Institute helped me step out of my comfort zone. I originally came here

to write poetry, but I discovered I have a thing for mystery novels and am currently

working on one now!”

“It’s so important to have a group of writers with whom you can share.”

“I enjoy writing fiction because your characters can be whoever and whatever you choose. I love that the

Institute encourages this kind of thinking: that there are no boundaries, and

there never will be.”

continued on page 5

The day featured 11 breakout sessions with titles such as “On Mix Tapes and Poets,” “Advertisements for Myself: Thinking and Writing about Consumer Culture,” “Sports, Hope, & Literacy: Thinking Globally, Acting Locally” and “Skills for a Successful College Writer.” Each workshop was designed to teach academic skills to students through writing. Bob Albert, a presenters at the conference, was impressed with the teenagers from Bridgeport. “It was inspiring to work with these kids,” he said. “They were smart and arrived with great ideas. I wish I had gone to something like this when I was in school.” Albert and artist Bob Skinner worked with students on the ways that artists use writing to promote their craft.Emily, a junior at Bassick High School, said she signed up for the workshop because she is interested in writing. “I like to write about myself,” she said. Asked what she plans after high school, she didn’t skip a beat: “I want to go to college.” Bank of America representatives appreciated the college- and career-readiness that was emphasized in each session. “Students who attended the conference left equipped with communications skills that will help them succeed in school and the workplace,” said Bill Tommins, Southern Connecticut market president, Bank of America. “This conference was an excellent example of local schools, institutions of higher education, and the business community working together to create opportunities for the young people in the area.”Author Sonya Huber, Ph.D., assistant professor of English at Fairfield University, showed students how being aware of their surroundings would make them better writers. Huber’s work of creative nonfiction Opa Nobody (2008) was shortlisted for the Saroyan Prize. “Your first job in creative writing is to train yourself that you are constantly watching,” she told a group of about 20 students. “You’re looking for things—ideas—that you can put in your pocket to use later.” In a neighboring room, Brynn Mandel, a Connecticut journalist, showed attendees how reporters organize stories, explaining how the headline grabs a reader and the first sentence in a story should be its most compelling. “You can use journalistic practices to make the reader want to continue reading,” she said.The highlight of the day, however, was the keynote speaker Kwame Alexander, author of 14 books, including an adult novel, He Said, She Said. Alexander, a poet and publisher who founded Book-In-A-Day, a program that teaches teenagers to write and publish their own books, explained the secret to his roundabout route to success. “My philosophy is to say yes—and then figure it out,” he told the students.Alexander, who studied with master poet Nikki Giovanni at Virginia Tech, began writing poetry at the age of 12 out of necessity, saying his first effort wasn’t terribly memorable. “The only reason I wrote it was because it was Mother’s Day, and I didn’t have any money for a present,” he said. Alexander’s can-do spirit led to an eclectic career, including a stint selling his books in churches across the country, organizing a concert featuring the late rapper Tupac Shakur, creating a fellowship in Italy and writing the children’s book Acoustic Rooster & His Barnyard Band, which features Theolonious Monkey and Duck Ellington.When Alexander asked the room full of Bridgeport youth, “Are you going to be able to say yes to the opportunities in your life?”, the students shouted back a rousing “Yes!”As the students left for the day, a young man told Crandall that, “Kwame Alexander’s presentation was the best experience of his school year. He said he was going home to write.”

Aspiring Teen Writers from Bridgeport cont.

Books by author Kwame Alexander

The following is a response given by CWP-Fairfield Director Dr. Bryan Ripley Crandall when author Trina Paulus invited him to Montclair, New Jersey, in celebration of her book Hope For the Flowers’ 40th anniversary and its distribution throughout Connecticut after the tragedy on December 14th.

The Connecticut Writing Project/Hope for the Flowers partnership began when tragedy struck southern Connecticut last December. Immediately upon hearing reports of another school shooting, I contacted Trina Paulus, author of Hope For the Flowers, and inquired about purchasing copies of her book to distribute to writing project teachers around the state. Soon after, my colleagues, Carol Davies, a poet and resident of Sandy Hook, and Elizabeth Boquet, Director of Fairfield University’s Writing Center, approached CWP-Fairfield about possibly sponsoring a poetry program for youth living in and near Newtown. It was an honor to fund this vision. In the introduction to their poetic culmination, In The Yellowy Green Phase of Spring, teacher Lea Attanasio and poet Carol Ann Davies wrote:

The idea began when we, as co-facilitators, initiated a discussion on how we might offer something to the community of Newtown, how we might facilitate an experience that would allow all the language and images that swirled about us to stop, be seen, and perhaps be released into the larger space of our common understanding. And of course, we wanted to share with each other what we’d seen, to read aloud what we had written. As teachers, we knew that being together and writing together formed the definition of community, and that writing, sharing, and listening as individuals

with that community was essential to our experience of ourselves. But how to start, and would anyone join us?

My intent today in Montclair, New Jersey is to come back to what Lea Attanasio and Carol Ann Davies wrote in their publication, but first let me set the scene.On December 14th, I played hooky from work so I could catch the early premiere of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit. I felt tremendous guilt over neglecting my academic obligations that day, but was comforted that, for two hours of my life, I could escape from the world for a little while to enjoy a story I cherished as a child. A third of the way through the film, however, I grew uncomfortable with the gratuitous violence. As a director, Jackson’s team was experimenting with a new style of cinematography where the camera used dizzying effects like those of video games. Call me prudish, but I wanted Tolkien’s story, the allegory that gave me meaning as a young man, not the violence. I came to The Hobbit for the moral of the story, not the grime. This is when the text messages began to arrive. “Bryan, where are you? Are you working in Newtown? Are you near that school?” I was in a theater. What were they talking about? What was going on?More messages arrived. The animated tub of popcorn warned me about using my cell phone during the film, but I went online, anyway, to read more. Suddenly, Jackson’s over-the-top rendition of The Hobbit seemed drastically inappropriate. School shootings? How many children? Teachers, too? Again? Why?

In the Yellowy Green Phase of Spring: A poetry project

continued on page 7

As I began to read news of the tragedy, the first person who came to mind was Cyndy Debottis, a teacher I had in my senior year of high school; she taught a course designed to help students figure out coping mechanisms for difficult times. Her curriculum was designed to provide tools for change and covered much-needed territory typically overlooked by state bureaucracies and politicians. In her class and with her instruction, students felt safe, appreciated, and supported. Ms. Debottis guided kids to see that they were on their own journey through life and helped each to realize that the power of healing begins inside. It was here that I first heard Paulus’s story about two caterpillars. Hope for the Flowers joined The Hobbit as a metaphor to guide my understanding of the world, especially in difficult times.In 1995, I became a teacher. I earned a classroom of my own in 1997 at a quirky school in Louisville, Kentucky, when a parent of one of my students asked me to sponsor an after school program called No More Violence. Together, we worked with students to deconstruct conflict in the world and looked at the societal structures that support altercations, but also at the biological, cultural, historical, and political foundation that grounds any violent act. To model the complexities, Jan Arnow shared an essay by Sarah Corbett, “From Hell To Fargo,” about Sudanese refugees relocating to the United States. Two hundred “lost boys”

were slated to move to Kentucky in 2001 and, inspired by the article, I became a mentor to some of them. The Sudanese men I worked with became central to my teaching, and they shared their life stories with my students to help them understand the privileges afforded to many in the United States.In 2004, however, I began to question everything when one of the refugees I worked with was murdered by three youth suspected to be involved in gangs. My friend’s senseless death was a clear and tragic reminder of the deeply rooted violence that undergirds many of our communities. We are not born to kill our fellow men and women but come to this as a result of oppression, hardship, lack of education, and frustration. Sometimes, we come to it as a matter of politics. When James was murdered, I grew reserved and anxious. I wanted answers. Why murder? What leads people to act in violent ways? How can educators counter this?

Then I remembered Trina Paulus’s yellow book. Violence is a tricky monster. There is violence in almost all the literary texts educators use in their classrooms, and it could be speculated that the study of the humanities arose from questioning why this is so. A historian I admire was quick to remind me that intellectual pondering about violence is the result of Western privilege—a prerogative of over 2,500 years of history. My freethinking, democratic

A Poetry Project cont.

continued on page 8

eventsIt’s never not a good time to think about writing...

15Award-winning actor and author John Lithgow considers the power of storytelling. 8 pm @ Quick Center for the Arts.

20Sarah Kay, poet and teacher, presents an evening of spoken word poetry. 7:30 pm @Quick Center for the Arts.

20-22National Writing Project annual meeting in Boston, with NCTE. Teachers, literary experts, administrators, and writers hanging out, messaging around, and geeking out.

1On this day in 1835, Hans Christian Andersen published his first book of fairy tales.

10The author of the following poem about our favorite subject was born today in 1830. Can you guess who?

There is no frigate like a bookTo take us lands away,Nor any coursers like a pageOf prancing poetry.This traverse may the poorest takeWithout oppress of toll;How frugal is the chariotThat bears a human soul!

3John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, better known as J.R.R. and the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, was born in 1892.

30Wil Haygood, author of The Butler, headlines the MLK celebration. 7 pm @ Quick Center for the Arts.

31The culmination of Fairfield University’s Poetry for Peace contest includes an awards ceremony and celebration for the poets and their families.

november december january

Stop. Look. Listen.

The National Writing Project and CWP-Fairfield are in the news and on the air. You can read about us, follow us, like us, or listen to us on the following media sites:

1. Listen to a conversation with CWP-Fairfield Director Dr. Bryan Ripley Crandall and Beauty Makinta NWP Radio

2. Read about CWP-Fairfield’s unique partnership with the Bridgeport school systemCollaborating with Bridgeport

3. Discover the real power of wordsNew York Times Article

4. Tweet, tweet, tweet!CWP-Fairfield’s Twitter Feed

ideals are the fruits of almost 104 million slain soldiers’ labors. It seems that violence is the steep price we pay for what we call freedom.

Like most people across the United States and around world, I watched the Sandy Hook news in horror and disgust and, before I knew it, I found myself emailing Trina Paulus. To be honest, I didn’t know if Hope for the Flowers was still in publication, but I knew I needed hope. Within seconds of pressing send, my phone rang. Remarkably, it was Trina Paulus.

“We can do more than a send you a couple of books,” Paulus advised. “We need to do something bigger.”I contacted the National Writing Project and its network of 70,000 teachers, and proposed a “butterfly release” to respond to December 14th. What if we could distribute ‘hope’ to teachers, counselors, psychologists, families, churches, synagogues, mosques, and students throughout southern Connecticut? Within a few short hours, Paulist Press donated the first 100 books. Between them, the National Writing Project, and Friends of Hope For the Flowers, we had the support we needed to do a substantial butterfly release in Connecticut.The first release happened at an event for teachers, psychologists, counselors, and administrators at Fairfield University, where individuals had gathered to share how schools were working with (or running from) the local tragedy. Each participant received a copy of Hope for the Flowers. A second release took place in Westerly, Rhode Island, after I learned that my niece, who marches with the Cicero-North Syracuse Winterguard, was performing with Newtown High School’s team. Soon, Trina Paulus’s book was being distributed at literacy workshops, to pre-service teachers, to undergraduates, in classrooms, and even at the Civil Rights Institute in Birmingham, Alabama. Hope for the Flowers was placed in the hands of Emmanuel Jal, a Sudanese hip-hop artist who is starring in an upcoming film with Reese Witherspoon and whose global hit “We Want Peace” was promoted by Alicia Keys. I gave him Hope, and he gave me a copy of his book, War Child, a memoir detailing his plight during Sudan’s civil wars. The stories are similar:

“It got darker and darker, and he was afraid.He felt he had to let go of everything...And Yellow waited... until...”

Until we ask, How do we start? Will anyone join us?One by one, day by day, all the copies of Hope For the Flowers were distributed: at basketball games, in libraries, at community events and, finally, to the young participants in the Newtown Poetry Project, the writing project led by my friends Carol Ann Davies and Lea Attanasio who used poetry as a means to heal to our local community. With support from the Connecticut Writing Project, their work was published as a collection of poetry entitled In The Yellowy Green Phase of Spring: Poems from Newtown. For the last year, I have been thinking about Cindy Debottis and her impact on my life as an 18-year-old. Teachers are extremely important, and I am thankful she shared Hope For the Flowers with her classes. This is the power of words and of stories. And as she wrote to me recently,

It’s so hard for teenagers, and people in general for that matter, to see their worth and potential. So many people struggle. They live their lives, dissatisfied, unhappy, trying to convince themselves that’s where they want to be. They fear

A Poetry Project cont.

continued on page 9

A Proud Soldierby Lea Attanasio

Our flagTHE flag on the polestands boldlyhumblycourageouslywith great humilityand endless pridefor all the world to see.

It waves towerswelcomes guardsand reminds us of who we are.

An albatrossperched high above the cliffpensive, peaceful,prepared to soar.It waits and watcheswith endless patience.

Anonymous and famousfragilevulnerableinvincibleunforgettable.

It rises abovesoars on a breezedancing.It bows to a stormmourns in sadnessthen rises againto cheerto rememberto celebratesalutehonorcherishlove.

that if they change direction, all of their time will have been wasted. This is sad. Everyone deserves to know that the wings exist within.

In 2013, I began to reflect on and to live by the Bantu philosophy of “Ubuntu,” which translates as, “I can be me because of who we are together.” Over this past year I’ve come to realize the importance of our communities and the local ways we work together to be strong. But how do we start? Will anyone join us?

We started by reaching out to others. Soon others joined us. And together we have begun to look for hope. Lea Attanasio’s poem (at right) is a step in the right direction. It was written to celebrate a community that is loved. It was written to help others to heal.

A Poetry Project cont.

In August, CWP-Fairfield received a competitive federal SEED (Supporting Effective Educator Development) grant to provide professional development and programming to educators at Hill Central Academy in New Haven. The proposal includes a plan to implement integrated, vertical teacher teams that will meet regularly to discuss literacy goals, analyze new data, and reflect on teaching writing as a way to enhance literacy across the content areas; a digital story initiative designed to empower teacher capacity for teaching with digital tools; the creation of an 8th grade Capstone Project, based loosely on the culminating projects model; an initiative to enhance the writing culture at Hill Central so that all students begin to see themselves as writers; and a yearlong schedule of professional development for Hill Central teachers and administrators. Last year, Hill Central, a K-8 school, contracted with CWP-Fairfield and CWP-Storrs to conduct four workshops on the teaching of writing. In the words of Paige Callahan, the early literacy specialist at the school, “The teachers at Hill Central did not know where to begin.” At the end of the year, Hill Central Principal Glen Worthy reported, “Working with CWP was a good start, but our teachers want more.”

To that end, the 2013-2014 SEED grant recently sent several teachers from the school’s literacy leadership team to the 62nd Annual Conference of the Connecticut Reading Association. According to Crandall, “Last year, Jason Courtmanche of CWP-Storrs and I worked with teachers at Hill Central to establish a core for strong writing instruction. The teachers appreciated the professional development and asked CWP-Fairfield to design even more support for 21st century literacy instruction in a K through 8 school. We’re excited to continue to build on the accomplishments of 2012, and it is an honor to receive NWP SEED support for such work in 2013.”

CWP-Fairfield Receives a National Grant to Work with a New Haven School In Need

In July, CWP-Fairfield hired Bridgeport Teacher of the Year Shaun Mitchell to act as a digital liaison and supporter of 21st century literacies. In this capacity, he provided Connected Learning between the 2013 Invitational Summer Institute for teachers and the Young Writers’ Institutes held on campus. Mitchell, who teaches English and drama at Central High School, previously received a 2 0 1 2 - 2 0 1 3 enhancement grant f r o m t h e Connecticut Writing P r o j e c t t h r o u g h Nat ional Writ ing Project Supporting Effective Educator D e v e l o p m e n t ( S E E D ) f u n d s . Before that, as a 2011 CWP-Fairfield f e l l o w, M i t c h e l l turned his iPad into a p o d c a s t i n g m a c h i n e a n d recorded the stories of h i s s tudents. Since then, he has presented the work of his students at local and national conferences. In April of this year, Mitchell joined C W P t e a ch e r s Ju l i e Ro n e s o n (Discovery Magnet, Bridgeport) and Kelley Gordon-Minott (Stamford High School) in presenting “Textual, Textured, and Tech-tual Lineages: Supporting Multiliteracy Exploration for the 21st Century Classroom” at the Urban Sites Conference of the N a t i o n a l Wr i t i n g P r o j e c t i n Birmingham, Alabama. Along with Dr. Bryan Ripley Crandall, GSEAP assistant professor and CWP-Fairfield director, they traveled to Alabama to present at the conference and to

partake in Lessons of the Birmingham Movement: A Symposium on Youth, Activism & the Struggle for Human Rights. “We were honored to be selected,” reported Crandall. “We read a chapter by Dr. Alfred Tatum, who advocates for supporting the textual lineages of all youth. We realized how important it was to trace our own literacy histories to better understand

the work we hoped t o d o w i t h o u r s t u d e n t s . T h i s i n c l u d e d o u r re lat ionship with technology and how it can be used to connect with 21st century learners.” Several months after the trip to Alabama, Mitchell was hired through NWP and Bank of America support to share his t e c h n o l o g i c a l e x p e r t i s e w i t h teachers and students a t t e n d i n g C W P -Fairfield’s summer I n s t i t u t e s . “ I c o n t a c t e d t h e Nat iona l Wri t ing Project and explained

that Shaun would be a great addition to our programs,” explained Dr. Crandall. “He has many of the skills that educators need for composing online with new media tools. Investing in his role had a tremendous impact on our summer programs.” Over the course of four weeks, Shaun digitally mastered several podcasts from campus for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade writers who attended a one-week program; 6th through 12th grade writers who took part in sessions I and II of CWP’s Young Writers’ Institute: and

Watch This

This summer, the teachers of the 2013 Invitational Summer Institute and the students of the 2013 Young and Young(er) Writers’ Institutes considered the importance of writing in their lives. These are their stories:

Young(er) Writers

Young Writers - Session I

Young Writers - Session II

2013 Summer Invitational

And... Action! Connecticut Writing Project-Fairfield Goes Digital

Outstanding Bridgeport educator Shaun Mitchell presents to the students of the 2013 YWI.

continued on page 11

Fairfield University President Welcomes Bridgeport Teachers for a Day on WritingOn August 26th, Fairfield University President Jeffrey P. von Arx welcomed over 75 teachers to campus during a back-to-school kickoff for Bassick High School, which was funded by a National Writing Project SEED (Supporting Effective Educator Development) grant. The day focused on community, university/district relations, and the importance of teaching writing across the content areas. The event was a follow-up to the yearlong professional development offered to teachers at the high school. The following is a transcript of the words Father von Arx delivered.On behalf of everyone at Fairfield University, it is a pleasure for me to welcome you to this professional development day and to congratulate you on your efforts to enhance interdisciplinary literacy practices at Bassick High School in support of the Common Core State Standards.  I am appreciative of Dr. Wayne Alexander, superintendent Paul Vallas, and outgoing Dean of our Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions Dr. Susan Franzosa for establishing a partnership between Fa i r f i e ld Un ive r s i t y and your institutions. The  teachers teaching teachers model of the National Writing Project, too, deserves recognition, and Fairfield University is proud to host one of the three Connecticut Writing Project sites in the state. Through them, we are committed to bui lding teacher leadership, better writing instruction, and professional development that matters to teachers. The model has historically been noted as the best professional development offered in the United States.As educators, we all appreciate how critical it is that our young people acquire the capacity to be fluently literate—to be able to express themselves, develop their own ideas,

understand the perspectives of others, think critically, and engage with the world around them in a creative and civilly responsible manner.Indeed, the whole foundation of our civil society—our democracy and the values and truths that we hold to be self-evident—depends on a society of persons who can read and think, and through that capacity, be able to see themselves as valued and active participants in their community.

In this respect, the work that you do as educators in Connecticut, especially in t h e c i t y o f B r i d g e p o r t , i s extraordinarily important, and the stakes—where the future of our nation is concerned—could not possibly be higher.At Fairfield University, we are committed to ongoing collaboration with city of Bridgeport and the city schools to promote literacy, and to share the expertise we have with our colleagues in the Bridgeport school

teachers who attended the four-week Invitational Summer Institute.

In total, 72 young people and 12 teachers took part in CWP-Fairfield’s summer programs. As one student attending the YWI explained, “CWP workshops are what schools wish they could be but can’t.” When asked to explain further, she continued, “During the school year, teachers have a lot of pressure to teach to tests. At CWP, teachers are able to help us grow as individuals and writers. We are given many more opportunities to write in genres that matter to us. They see us as human beings and not just test scores.”The summer programs for young writers were especially notable because of fellowships made available to 20 students from Bridgeport City Schools that were provided by Bank of America. According to Bill Tommins, B a n k o f A m e r i c a ’s S o u t h e r n Connect icut market pres ident , “Students who attend the Connecticut Writing Project’s Young Writers’ Institutes leave equipped with valuable communications skills that help them succeed in school and the workplace. The summer institutes are an excellent example of national programs, local schools, inst i tut ions of higher education, and the business community w o r k i n g t o g e t h e r t o c r e a t e opportunities for young people. We are proud to be part of this fellowship and to promote literacy for life.” A second critical source of funding for the program came from State Senator Bob Duff, who secured funding from the State of Connecticut. “Literacy is crucial,” he explained. “Students need to be able to communicate in a variety of ways and to express themselves both creatively and professionally.”

And... Action! cont.

!

University President Jeffrey von Arx

continued on page 12

system as we collaborate to help our young people achieve their potential. Specifically it is our hope that our young people will be prepared when they graduate from high school to enter higher education with all of the sk i l l s s e t s tha t they need to s u c c e e d .  O u r vision is to see as m a n y B a s s i c k graduates entering college as possible, a n d w e a r e committed to your effor ts.  Our Summer Scholars Program, for example, offers a taste of college life by providing a summer residential and academic experience for talented high school students. Although controversial to many, we believe that the skills required by the Common Core State Standards are a foundation for what young people will need for successful experiences in college and, later, the work force.Adopting the Common Core State Standards, however, will be a challenge for students, who will be expected to write more often and to a higher and more consistent standard, and it will be a challenge to you as educators as you make important changes to your teaching methods and practices, especially as new assessments arrive.

We appreciate, too, that urban school districts face unique and difficult challenges that make the adoption of the Common Core State Standards even more of an obstacle than they might be in other districts. We also appreciate that often, teachers feel that

they are on their own, without the support that they need to undertake the challenges they are faced with.

That is why we must work together—collaboratively as educators—to build a stronger community, to share our expertise, and to identify what is effective in addressing our students needs, while also identifying the impediments to their growth, and acting in concert to remove or reduce those impediments.

Events like this one will are a step along the way and that we will continue to find ways to work together to ensure that our young people will succeed.Certainly, at Fairfield University this is a commitment that we will continue to embrace, and I am confident that as we move forward, we will find other avenues for further collaboration.

What to Wear

A CWP-Fairfield T-shirt, of course!Order your T-shirts by calling or emailing Ellen Israel at:(203) 254-4000, ext. 3124or cwp@fairfield.edu.

T-shirts are $10 each and are available in Youth L and Adult S, M, L, and XL. Color: black.

Day on Writing cont.

The Connecticut

Writing Project @

Fairfield University is

all of you and..........

Dr. Bryan Ripley CrandallDirector

Ellen IsraelAdministrative Assistant

2013 YWI Instructors

Justine Domuracki

Alison Laturnau

Tony Mangano

Shaun Mitchell

2013 Y(er)WI Instructors

Christal Ferrandino

Emily Sawyer

2013 ISI Instructors

Julie Roneson

Lynn Winslow

2013 ISI Fellows

Kelli Banet

Emily Bosson

Elizabeth Cote

Edna Garcia

Allannah Greco

Brittany Hill

Jess Kanoff

Beauty Makinta

Rhonda Sullivan

Tom Ward

Jennifer Wentworth

Caitlin Woods

Connecticut Writing Project-FairfieldConnecticut Writing Project-StorrsConnecticut Writing Project-CCSU

TO EXPRESS TO REFLECT TO THINK TO MAKE CHANGE TO COMMUNICATE TO BELIEVE TO GROW TO REVEAL TO TAKE A STANCE TO EXPLORE TO REPORT TO QUESTION TO DISCOVER TO PERFORM TO WONDER TO INQUIRE TO SEEK INFORMATION TO COMPLAIN TO ENTERTAIN TO REFLECT TO SHARE TO BE PROFESSIONAL TO DECLAIM TO HISTORICIZE TO RAP TO RELAX TO BELONG TO BE A PART OF THE STORY TO KNOW THE WORLD TO MANIPULATE TO FLIRT TO RECORD TO FASCINATE TO FEEL TO ORGANIZE TO FORGET TO MOVE ON TO PLAY TO TRY NEW THINGS TO FLY TO CREATE TO LEARN TO TAKE NOTES TO PLAN TO LIST TO UNDERSTAND TO HUMANIZE TO SING TO MAKE JAZZ TO BEGIN ANEW TO BE FREE TO ACHIEVE TO IMAGINE TO VOICE TO INFORM TO CONVINCE TO REMEMBER TO JOURNAL and TO HOPE...

3PWC

1073 North Benson Road, DMH 220Fairfield, CT 06824(203) 254-4000, ext. 3124cwp@fairfield.edu