Write Out 2019: Making Stories of People, Place, and Perspectives

Write Out is a free two-week series of activities where educators, National Park Service Rangers, Writing Project TCs, parents, writers and youth they work with are invited to:

• explore national parks and other public spaces, including rural and urban settings, whether on-site or online
• create using a variety of media, including text, image, video and others
• connect to learn about using place-based learning as a critical cultural and environmental lens

Beginning October 13, 2019, and including the October 20th National Day on Writing, Write Out will host activity cycles that invite participants to write across a variety of media and curricular areas, facilitate online meet-ups, curate resources, and participate in Twitter chats. Participants can take part in as many or as few activities as fit their schedule. Additionally, through collaborative online possibilities, participants will be invited to share their creations, write, learn, and connect with the larger community. Write Out is hosted by the National Writing Project in partnership with the National Park Service.

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Discovering Stories/Sharing Stories

Every location, both the spectacular and the seemingly mundane, tells a story that extends from the distant past to the distant future. Write Out aims to spark curiosity through a series of online activities and writing prompts to explore stories of people, places, culture, and diversity. By analyzing natural resources and cultural experiences, participants will develop an awareness of place and use it to inspire creative, analytical, and other forms of writing.

Whether you have a few minutes, a few hours, or a few days to participate in Write Out, we hope you are inspired to create, have fun, and connect with new colleagues through a variety of writing experiences, including the National Day on Writing on October 20, 2019. Suggested “itineraries” for participating in this online experience will be broken up into two week-long activity cycles: Discovering Stories and Sharing Stories.

Discover American stories (week one), both visible and untold, in all their diversity, from ancient homelands of Native peoples, to African American Heritage, to Women’s History, to the LGBTQ Movement, to other human rights issues. Consider stories that reflect the diversity of perspectives within our country and beyond, and write out with your colleagues and students on the National Day on Writing, utilizing your inspiration from the week. Week two—Sharing Stories—will begin on October 21 and will build on week one’s analysis, providing an opportunity for participants to reflect, through their writing, on the stories of place.

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Browse collected resources to begin to plan for what this might look like in your learning space.

Follow Write Out on Twitter.