National Writing Project

NWP Urban Sites Conference

Urban Sites Network Events

NWP Urban Sites Conference

Bridges: Connecting Lives Through Literacy

April 26–27, 2002

Marriott Courtyard Savannah Historic District, 415 West Liberty Street; 1-800-321-2211, or 912-790-8287
Savannah, Georgia

NWP Urban Sites Conference 2003 Next year's Urban Sites Network Conference will be hosted by the South Coast Writing Project in Santa Barbara, California. Find out more! 

The annual Urban Sites Network Conference, hosted this year by the Coastal Georgia Writing Project, took place April 26 and 27, 2002. Features of the two-day event held in Savannah, Georgia, included performances by cultural groups, historic and literary writing tours, visits to area schools, in-depth workshops and discussions. The conference theme, "Bridges: Connecting Lives Through Literacy," provided opportunities to discover and explore the connections literacy makes in our communities, and in the lives of students, parents, and educators.  More than 160 people participated in the conference, representing over 35 writing project sites across the country. The conference had 36 sessions on writing and literacy led by writing project teacher-consultants, directors, and co-directors.

Articles from The Voice

Urban Sites Conference 2002 Southern Style
As the conference chairperson for the 2002 conference, E. LaWanda Ransom describes how the Coastal Georgia Writing Project worked to infuse a rich mixture of network-related activities and strong doses of Southern hospitality into this year's meeting.
Documenting USN Conference Offers Refreshing View
Middle school students benefit from a video documentation project for the Urban Sites Conference 2002. Link to the article by E. LaWanda Ransom and watch a video from the Urban Sites Conference 2002.
Reflections on a Savannah Conference
Tina Humphrey, a relative newcomer to the writing project and to teaching, approached the Urban Sites Conference in Savannah with some nervousness, but soon found herself talking to teachers from all over the country.

Scrapbook from the Conference

The Georgia Sea Island Singers gave participants a wake up call like no other on Saturday morning in the auditorium.


Participants attended many workshops led by colleagues from other urban writing project sites across the country.


Rosalynde Scott from the Gateway Writing Project embraces Sherry Swain from the Mississippi Writing/Thinking Institute as part of the Sea Island Singers performance and greeting song.

Brandyn Poole, a student from the DeRenne Middle School, interviews participant and presenter Sam Reed from the Philadelphia Writing Project.


Urban Sites Network Conferences
Urban Sites Spring Conference 2001: Uncovering Our Voices
Urban Sites Spring Conference 2000: Race, Culture, and Equity
© 2023 National Writing Project