National Day on Writing—October 20, 2009

National Day on Writing—October 20, 2009

“Everyone is a writer!” That’s the message behind NCTE’s National Day on Writing/National Gallery on Writing—a time to celebrate, promote, and explore the amazing variety of writing that all of us (parents, teachers, students, community members) do in our everyday lives (from blogs and emails to poems and memos and everything in between).

NCTE encourages all of us to get involved with this day in at least two ways:
First, become a part of the National Gallery of Writing. This online “virtual” gallery will post thousands of pieces of writing from writers across the nation. Any school or community group can sponsor a “room” in the gallery, adding submissions from their group, as long as someone serves as “curator.” And submissions can start pouring into the gallery in the next few months. The gallery will be officially opened to the public on October 20 (to correspond with the National Day), and will stay open until at least June 2010.
Second, sponsor events promoting writing on the National Day on Writing—in your school or community. You might host a writing marathon, a poetry slam, an inservice for parents—anything to demonstrate both the fun and the importance of writing.


Writing Marathon: Maps will be available with several routes around campus (long, short, varying stops), along with directions on how to participate. Writers will return to a central location afterward to share writing and reflect on their experience.
WritingCorps: Modeled after NPR’s StoryCorps, WritingCorps invites participants to reflect (on audio or video) on a piece of writing that is meaningful to them.
Writing activities: Several stations will give writers a chance to try out some short kinds of writing, designed both to be fun and to inspire more writing.
Roving Reporters: Writers will have a chance to check out a Flip video camera and a “press pass” and have 20 minutes to walk around campus to interview faculty, students, and staff about their writing practices.
And all of the writing from that day will be posted on our WCHS: The Writing Center gallery.