National Writing Project

The Voice

Vol. 8, No. 4, 2003

A Baker's Dozen of Fat-Cutting Exercises
By Terry Phelps
Many writers skimp by using shortcuts such as contractions, acronyms, and ellipses, but then ladle on redundancies, nominalizations, and other "fat" in their writing....

A Short Take on Revision
By Mark Farrington
To help promote revision, Mark Farrington of the Northern Virginia Writing Project gives students a number of exercises designed to show them that writing is fluid....

Awards and Accolades
By NWP Staff
Find out about your colleagues' latest articles, books, and awards....

Director's Update
By Richard Sterling
An update from Executive Director Richard Sterling....

Edelsky Talk Brings Urban Sites Conference Theme Alive
By Art Peterson
Professor Carole Edelsky, of Arizona State University, documents the achievements of two fifth grade students in a dual–language program, showing how a dual–language class can become a community of practice....

Fall Reflections
By Diane Curry
A skinned knee and a trip to the Maryland Writing Project's professional writing retreat lead an educator to rediscover her voice and her love of teaching....

It Can't Be Taught, But It Can Be Lost
By Terry Mobley
A long-time teacher rediscovers the joy of teaching as he experiences the NWP Annual Meeting through the eyes of an eager, young, and focused new teacher....

It's Never Written in Stone: The Agony of Revision
By Ruth Baja Williams
How do we teach the beauty of revision when it is such an agony for young writers? Learn how one teacher of writing workshop cajoles revisions from her elementary students....

Milestones in NWP History
By NWP Staff
A short description of NWP milestones, 1973-1978....

NWP Launches Research Unit
By Linda Friedrich, Paul LeMahieu
NWP's new research unit enhances NWP's capacity to examine its work, disseminate its learning, and respond to increasing demands to demonstrate results....

NWP Writing Retreats Flourish and Multiply
By Art Peterson
Explore the original NWP Writing Retreat model for professional writing and learn why it is being borrowed for similar writing project retreats all over the country....

NWP Writing Strand at NCTE: Because Writing Matters
By NWP Staff
On Saturday, November 22, 2003, the NCTE Annual Convention will feature a strand of sessions by NWP presenters on writing....

Rejection Letter
By Bill Connolly
A poem from Bill Connolly of the National Writing Project at Rowan University....

Rejuvenating the Writing Project Vision Through the 2003 NWP Directors Retreat
By Nodghia Fesperman
Learn about the activities, reflection, and knowledge gained at the 2003 NWP Directors Retreat, which focused on the theme "Because Writing Matters....

Rural Voices Book Proves Timing Is Everything
By Amy Bauman
This book, that advocates for an educational system based on a localized, teacher- and community-driven curriculum, is the result of research conducted by Nebraska Writing Project teachers in NWP's Rural Voices, Country Schools project....

Speaking of Feathers...A Reflection on the NWP Writing Retreat in Santa Fe
By Kathleen O'Shaughnessy
An experienced facilitator of the NWP Writing Retreat shares her insights about striking the right balance between personal and professional writing as she works with teacher-writers in Santa Fe....

Two New Directors Have Longtime NWP Roots
By Art Peterson
In an ongoing series, The Voice profiles directors of new writing project sites each year....

When Sparrows Speak
By Philip Ireland
A companion piece to "Speaking of Feathers," this piece by a participant in the NWP Writing Retreat reveals how a feather became a metaphor not only for his growth as a writer but for others at the Santa Fe retreat as well....

Work of Urban Sites Network Evident at 2003 Conference
By Marci Resnick
The NWP Urban Sites Conference is the Urban Sites Network's premier tool for disseminating urban teachers' work....

Writing Project to Participate in Partnership Events in Nation's Capitol
By NWP Staff
National Writing Project will participate in Smithsonian Teachers' Night on September 19, 2003, and the Library of Congress's National Book Festival on October 4, 2003....

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