The Voice
Vol. 11, No. 1, 2006
A Writing Teacher Writes—Big Time
By NWP Staff
Valerie Hobbs, well-known author of teen fiction—and one adult novel—had her start in a summer institute 25 years ago and went on to succeed as a writer while continuing to deepen her practice as a teacher....
Awards and Accolades
By NWP Staff
Book Review: Valerie Hobbs and the "Old-Adult" Novel
By Sheridan Blau
Sheridan Blau reviews Valerie Hobbs's first adult novel, Call It a Gift, which follows the love affair of a pair of septuagenarians and shows us "how much growing old is another version of growing up....
Dates to Remember
By NWP Staff
Director's Update
By Richard Sterling
NWP Executive Director Richard Sterling reflects on Jim Gray's life and his legacy—which includes the connection that NWP members have with each other, as evidenced by the community's response to the Gulf Coast hurricanes....
James Gray, Education Reformer
By NWP Staff
In 1974, Jim Gray organized the first summer institute, based on the notions that successful classroom teachers are the best teachers of other teachers and that teachers of writing should write....
Jim Gray
By Kim Stafford
This poem by Kim Stafford pictures the intensity, gruffness, and generosity of Jim Gray....
Jim Gray and the Writing Project: One Life's Work
By Art Peterson
Jim Gray's friends describe the qualities that made him a great man, the very qualities that make NWP a great institution....
Jim Gray in His Own Words
By James Gray
In three excerpts from his memoir Teachers at the Center, National Writing Project founder Jim Gray describes his early failure as a teacher, his first successful technique as a writing teacher, and an early fiasco of the Bay Area Writing Project when members were asked to present in a way they knew wouldn't work....
Literacy Expert P. David Pearson Joins NWP Board
By NWP Staff
Professor Pearson, a former elementary school teacher and now dean of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Education and director of a line of research in literacy and education, is the newest member of the National Writing Project Board of Directors....
New Monographs Appear This Spring
By Shirley Brown
Four new monographs in the National Writing Project at Work series, focusing on NWP sites' innovative approaches to the summer institute and to professional development, are set for distribution in June....
New-Site Directors Tell Their Stories
By NWP Staff
The Voice introduces the directors of five new sites that have recently joined the NWP network: Bruce McComiskey, Red Mountain Writing Project (Alabama); Lucy Stanovick and Lesliee Antonette of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Writing Project; Nanci Werner-Burke and Richard Heyler of the Endless Mountain Writing Project (Pennsylvania); Bobbie Solley and Trixie Smith of the Middle Tennessee Writing Project; and Cheryl Hines of the Pearl of the Concho Writing Project (Texas)....
NWP Cosponsors National Event Featuring U.S. Poet Laureate
By NWP Staff
Selected student poets will fly to Washington to read at the Celebrating Rural Poetry event, held at the Library of Congress....
NWP Publishes Teacher Research Guide
By NWP Staff
Working Toward Equity explores complex equity issues in 13 narratives from a broad spectrum of educators chronicling their real work in classrooms, schools, districts, and professional development organizations....
NWP Summer Writing Events Advance Local Work
By NWP Staff
An array of national programs gives sites the opportunity to support their teacher-consultants in writing for broader audiences and disseminating new knowledge throughout the National Writing Project's network of sites—and beyond....
Rainsong
By Terie Cota
Fifth grade teacher Terie Cota describes a writing lesson she spontaneously created on a rainy day, which engaged her students' creativity and led to an experience of success for one struggling student in particular....
Remembering Jim Gray
By Mary Ann Smith
Smith recounts experiences with NWP founder Jim Gray: her meeting with him 35 years ago, his classes, the first summer institute, his mentorship of her, and the evolution of the NWP professional community....
Six New Sites Added to NWP Network
By NWP Staff
Testifying for Writing: NWP Teachers and Other Educators Speak Out
By Mary Ann Smith
In 2004 more than 100 teachers, school administrators, university leaders, and directors of academic writing programs participated in hearings held by The National Commission on Writing and chaired by National Writing Project Executive Director Richard Sterling....
The First BAWP Summer Institute
By James Gray
In this excerpt from his memoir Teachers at the Center, writing project founder Jim Gray recounts the triumphs and missteps of the first summer institute, where he and the participants began to bring together the key elements of the writing project model....
