Person on the Street

By: NWP Staff
Publication: The Voice, Vol. 9, No. 2
Date: 2004

Summary: National Writing Project Spring Meeting participants were asked: What was the high point of the spring meeting for you?

National Writing Project Spring Meeting participants were asked: What was the high point of the spring meeting for you?

"It was a thrill to meet with Catherine Brown of Senator Hillary Clinton's (D-NY) office and find that, as Brown's mother is a writing project site director in New Jersey,* she understands well and supports completely the work we do."
Joe Bellacero
New York City Writing Project

*Editors note: Catherine Brown's mother is Carol S. Brown, director of the Trenton Area Writing Project at Rider University, New Jersey.

*****

"I'd have to say that the high point of the NWP Spring Meeting was sitting at the same table with Congresswoman Barbara Lee. She . . . took time to meet with the Bay Area Writing Project contingency and was so supportive of the work we do with teachers and students. As a former journalist she knows the importance of the written word firsthand. I'll always remember this special moment."
Betty Pazmiño
Bay Area Writing Project, California

*****

"The office visits were definitely a high point for me. It's easy to become politically disconnected when the only news I listen to is about major world issues on NPR driving to and from school. The voices of my Nevada colleagues and I were heard by those who can make decisions, and talking with my state representatives made the democratic process come alive for me. They allowed me to see the power of being involved."
Ruth Devlin
Southern Nevada Writing Project

*****

"I could feel the energy and excitement in the crowded Senate Mansfield Room where we met to kick off the NWP Spring Meeting. I had tears in my eyes when I saw Senator Thad Cochran. I grew up in Mississippi where I didn't have a lot of pride in public education, but hearing Thad Cochran and knowing what he represents for the National Writing Project made me feel proud to be from Mississippi."
Margaret Simon
National Writing Project of Acadiana, Louisiana