WMWP Leadership Team Meetings
Mondays, 4:15-5:45 p.m., September 17, October 22, December 10, January 28, March 24, May 19, June 16. Alternating between Five Colleges Building, Amherst, and Wistariahurst Museum, Holyoke.
Leadership Team meetings are open to all Western Massachusetts Writing Project teacher-consultants, who are eligible for 10 PDPs if they attend five or more meetings per year. Leadership Team meetings may include any of the following activities: time for writing and sharing; brief reports on recent, current, and future programs; and discussion of both planned agenda items and new business. Some meetings also include scheduled presentations by teacher-consultants on Western Massachusetts Writing Project or National Writing Project initiatives or on special topics of interest to the site. One meeting a year includes reflections for the NWP Annual Report, and some include meeting time for the Continuity, In-Service, and Outreach Task Forces. Chaired by Anne Herrington.

Massachusetts Writing Project Meetings
Thursdays, 4:30-6:30 p.m., September 6, October 11, December 13, March 20, April 24, June 12. Sullivan Hall, Worcester State College. Annual retreat, Friday-Saturday, January 25-26, times and location TBA. Annual conference, May 3, Crowne Plaza, Worcester.
Planning sessions for representatives of the four Massachusetts National Writing Project sites. Coordinator: Bruce Penniman. Visit www.masswritingproject.org for more information.

National Writing Project Annual Meeting
Thursday-Saturday, November 15-17. New York City..
Workshops, plenary session, and special initiative meetings for representatives of all 200 National Writing Project sites. Coincides with the National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention. Open to all NWP teacher-consultants. No registration fee. Visit www.nwp.org for more information.

New England Writing Projects Annual Meeting
Friday-Saturday, March 7-8. Whispering Pines, West Greenwich, RI.
Workshops, sharing sessions, and planning sessions for representatives of ten New England and two New York National Writing Project sites.

Teachers as Writers Programs

Writing-and-Response Group
Saturdays, February 9, March 8, April 12, May 10, June 7, July 12, and August 9, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. UMass, Bartlett Hall, Room 256.
Open to all K-college teachers, the writing-and-response group provides time for writing and response in a relaxed setting. The sessions are led by Maryann Jennings and Sherril Willis. Free. No registration required. Click here for more information.

Stump Sprouts Writing Retreat
Friday evening-Sunday morning, December 7-9, 2007. Stump Sprouts Conference Center, Hawley.
An informal writing retreat open to all K-16 teacher-writers. Beautiful surroundings, relaxed schedule, supportive feedback. Fee: $135 (includes home-cooked meals and bunkhouse lodging). Limit 20. 12 PDPs. Registration deadline (with payment in full): November 10. Note: Registration fee is non-refundable, but reservation may be transferred to another person. Click here for more information.

Teachers as Writers Contest
Submission deadline November 30, 2007.
WMWP invites all Massachusetts educators to submit manuscripts of up to 750 words for its second annual Teachers as Writers Contest. Prizes! Publication! Click here for information and submission guidelines.

Professional Writing Retreat
Tuesday-Thursday, August 5-7, 2008. Stump Sprouts Conference Center, Hawley.
This three day writing retreat will give participants the opportunity to work on writing projects for publication, in such venues as professional journals, newsletters, newspapers, and on-line venues. Come to write, share work in progress, and receive feedback. The coaches are to former WMWP site directors, Charlie Moran and Bruce Penniman. Enrollment is limited to 16 people. Registration fee of $160 includes meals and lodging. Please click here for more information and application instructions. Note that applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis so early application is advisable.

Conferences and Workshops

Best Practices in the Teaching of Writing
Saturday, October 13, 2007, 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. UMass, Bartlett Hall.
WMWP's annual fall conference featuring workshops by Summer Institute participants, keynote speaker, reunion meetings, and more. 5 PDPs. Fee: $25 (includes coffee and luncheon). Register by October 1. Click here for more information.

Teaching Reading and Writing in New England
Friday-Saturday, October 26-27, 2007. Sheraton Nashua, Nashua, N.H.
New England Association of Teachers of English annual conference, featuring a National Writing Project workshop strand. Fee: Variable. Conference information available at www.neate.org.

Because Writing Matters
Saturday, May 3, 2008, 8:30-3:30. Crowne Plaza Hotel, Worcester.
The MWP Spring Conference will explore topics ranging from English Language Learners and family literacy to responding to student writing and MCAS open response, with the power of writing as the central theme. The keynote speaker is X.J. Kennedy, award-winning poet and author of Dark Horses and dozens of other books, plus numerous works for children. 6 PDPs. Cost: $80. Visit www.masswritingproject.org for details and registration information.

Student Writing Programs

Creative Journeys CANCELED
Friday, January 11, 2007, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. (snow date January 17). UMass, Bartlett Hall. Fall workshop dates: Tuesdays, November 13, December 11, 4-7 p.m., UMass, Bartlett Hall. Spring workshop dates: first week in February, first week in March, last week in May (Exact dates to be determined by group), 4-6 p.m., Springfield.
WMWP’s new and improved workshop series, led by Pamela Howes and Jane Urban, gathers teachers to share resources and plan writing workshops that bring their love of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction writing to students. Participants will be able to bring 20 students to the January 11 writing workshop day held on the UMass campus. This year the program will include follow-up workshops introducing teachers to options for publishing student writing. By application (with principal’s approval for release time). Free. 18 PDPs. Click here for more information.

SummerWrite!
Monday-Friday, June 23-27, 2008, 9 a.m.-3 p.m, UMass.
Registration deadline: June 2.
WMWP’s SummerWrite! Institute at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is a one-week in-depth writing experience for middle school students entering grades 6, 7 and 8. The Institute provides an opportunity for students to explore a variety of genres, experiment with new forms of writing, and learn from each other and from guest writers. Cost: $350. For further information and an application form, click here.

Ongoing Initiatives

Making Connections Writing and Technology Initiative
Dates TBA. UMass, Bartlett Hall.
This initiative, supported by a grant from the National Writing Project and led by WMWP Technology Liaison Kevin Hodgson, links middle school teachers and students from urban and rural public schools in on-line writing projects.

Summer Institute Inquiry Group
Saturday, October 1:30-3 p.m., and other dates TBA.
Invitational Summer Institute participants will meet regularly to extend their inquiry projects to the classroom. Led by WMWP teacher-consultant Joanne Wisniewski, the group will share teaching ideas and examine student work.

Springfield Republican Publication Project
Dates TBA.
Coordinated by WMWP Technology Liaison Kevin Hodgson, this ongoing project will feature teaching strategies and student work from eight WMWP teacher-consultants on special pages of the Springfield Republican.

Summer Institutes