Welcom to the 2009 Fall Edition of eMuse!

What is “Writing for Real”?


Bill Tucker

The EMWP presents its second annual “Writing for Real” Conference at the Student Center, October 17, 8:30 – 3:30. We have gathered amazing projects from across the grades, K-college, that show how to engage writers with audiences beyond the classroom.

Who are these audiences and why should we care about them? They range from our immediate peer group to the social networks of the internet, from professional agencies to the community at large, from teacher research networks to parents of school children to gaming communities. Writing has come of age because of social media, digital capabilities, small learning communities and reflective writing practice.
All of these audiences are recognized and celebrated in “Writing for Real,” a prelude to the National Day of Writing (October 20). The conference will be keynoted by two imaginative teacher consultants, Corey Harbaugh and Pen Campbell, invited from the Third Coast Writing Project (Western Michigan University). Their address is entitled “It Takes a Village to Raise Triplets: Symbiosis at Work and Play.”
Each of the four sessions will feature a presentation on digital writing from teacher consultants of the Eastern Michigan Writing Project, recently trained with the National Technology Standards and providing “cutting edge ideas for methods to incorporate technology into every classroom.”
Perhaps this is all a pretext for getting our teaching friends together, sharing the inspiration across the EMU and EMWP communities. Beyond the variety of media and disciplines represented, we hope “Writing for Real” will initiate conversations across the grade levels, enlarging our own community of teachers and writers.
Look for our announcement in your mailbox by the first day of fall. And invite your professional colleagues. Let your friends meet ours.

Click here to download the flyer and registration form.