NWP Radio

Join us for a conversation with Stephanie Vanderslice, a professor of creative writing, the co-director of the Arkansas Writers MFA Workshop at the University of Central Arkansas, and the author of Teaching Creative Writing: The Essential Guide.

This episode of The Write Time features members of the Furious Flower Syllabus Project, an open-access curriculum for incorporating Black poetry into classrooms of all ages and levels. About Our Guests McKinley E. Melton earned his PhD from the W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Prior to joining the Gettysburg College faculty, Dr. Melton was a visiting assistant professor of literature at Hampshire College from 2007-2012. He is also the recipient of a 2015 Career Enhancement Fellowship for Junior Faculty from the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation and was a 2015-16 Postdoctoral Fellow at the Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry at Emory University. Most recently, Dr. Melton was awarded a 2019-20 Frederick Burkhardt Fellowship by the American Council of Learned Societies, in order to support a year as scholar-in-residence at the Furious Flower Poetry Center at James Madison University. Allia Abdullah-Matta is a poet and Professor of English at CUNY LaGuardia, where she teaches composition, literature, creative writing, and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies courses. She writes about the culture and history of Black women and explores the presence of Black bodies and voices in fine art and poetry. She was the co-recipient of the The Jerome Lowell DeJur Prize in Poetry (2018) from The City College of New York (CCNY). Her poetry has been published in Newtown Literary, Promethean, Marsh Hawk Review, Mom Egg Review Vox, Global City Review, and the Jam Journal Issue of Push/Pull. Her chapbook(s) washed clean & blues politico (2021) were published by harlequin creature (hcx). Abdullah-Matta has published critical and pedagogical articles and serves on the Radical Teacher and WSQ (Women’s Studies Quarterly) editorial boards. She is working on a collection of poems inspired by archival and field research in South Carolina and Georgia, funded by a CUNY BRESI grant. Hayes Davis’ first volume, Let Our Eyes Linger, was published by Poetry Mutual Press; he is currently serving as the Howard County (Md) Poetry and Literature Society Writer in Residence, and he won a 2022 Maryland State Arts Council Independent Artists Award. His work has appeared most recently on the Academy of American Poets Poem-a-Day feature, he has been anthologized in This is What America Looks Like, Deep Beauty, Furious Flower: Seeding the Future of African American Poetry, Ghost Fishing: An Eco-justice Poetry Anthology, and others. His poems have also appeared in Mom Egg Review, New England Review, Poet Lore, Auburn Avenue, Gargoyle, Kinfolks, Fledgling Rag, and other journals. He holds a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of Maryland, and is a member of Cave Canem's (Cah-vay Cah-nem) first cohort of fellows. He has attended or been awarded writing residencies at the Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center, The Hermitage, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA), Manhattanville College, and Soul Mountain. He has appeared on the Kojo Nnamdi Show on WAMU, 88.5 in Washington, D.C. and at the Hay Festival Kells in Kells, Ireland. He has taught English and directed equity and justice work in Washington, D.C.-area independent schools for 20+ years; he shares his creative and domestic life with his wife, poet Teri Ellen Cross Davis, and their children. Dave Wooley is an English, Journalism and Creative Writing teacher at Westhill High School in Stamford, Connecticut, where he has taught since 2001. He has served as a Co-Adviser for the school’s hybrid newspaper The Westword since 2003. He has served as an adjunct Professor at Fairfield University, teaching Philosophy of Hip Hop, and he is a teaching fellow at the Connecticut Writing Project. Dave is one half of the rap group d_Cyphernauts and a hip-hop educator who has presented at the HipHopEd conference, the NCTE annual conference, the CSPA conference, among others. He served as a curriculum and music coordinator for the National Endowment...

Novelly is on a mission to publish diverse teenage authors and get their books taught in classrooms, so that every student can feel seen and inspired by what they read. This episode features the founder and managing director Anna Gabriella Casalme, along with two youth authors who have had their work published through Novelly.

Rob Rokicki is an NYC-based artist and educator. He wrote the music, lyrics, and co-orchestrated the Broadway show, The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical (book by Joe Tracz); nominated for a Lortel, Off-Broadway Alliance, and three Drama Desk Awards. His graphic novel/musical, Monstersongs (National Alliance for Musical Theatre official selection), is played internationally and is being developed as a VR game. He’s a two-time Larson Award finalist, an alum of the BMI Workshop, and a graduate of the University of Michigan. As an actor, Rob has performed in Broadway national tours and at Carnegie Hall. Rob is interviewed by Kevin Hodgson, a sixth-grade teacher and musician in Southampton, Massachusetts, and a teacher-consultant with the Western Massachusetts Writing Project. About The Write Time NWP Radio, in partnership with the Connecticut Writing Project at Fairfield and Penguin Random House Books, launched a special series in 2020 called “The Write Time” where writing teachers from across the NWP Network interview young-adult and children’s authors about their books, their composing processes, and writers’ craft. View the full archive at https://teach.nwp.org/series/the-write-time/

Today we visit with Leticia Britos Cavagnaro, author of Experiments in Reflection. Leticia is a developmental biologist turned design educator, who has been a part of Stanford University’s d.school since 2006. She co-founded and co-directs the University Innovation Fellows program, impacting students and educators worldwide. Leticia’s work integrates emerging technologies in creative methods to foster self-directed and responsible future shapers.

Heather Bourbeau’s award-winning poetry and fiction have appeared in The Irish Times, The Kenyon Review, Meridian, and The Stockholm Review of Literature. She has been featured on KALW and the San Francisco Public Library’s Poem of the Day, and her writings are part of the Special Collections at the James Joyce Library, University College Dublin. Her collection Some Days The Bird is a poetry conversation with the Irish-Australian poet Anne Casey (Beltway Editions, 2022). Her latest collection Monarch is a poetic memoir of overlooked histories from the US West she was raised in (Cornerstone Press, 2023). Related Resource Teaching guide for Monarch (PDF)

Join us for a conversation with Cindy Urbanski, PhD, author of Getting Schooled on Resistance: An Exploration of Clashing Narratives in Urban School Reform. Urbanski has worked with writing and writers in some capacity for 30 years. Currently her projects consist of making space for stories in the world that have formerly been untold and/or underrepresented. Through her degree in K-12 Urban Literacy, work with the National Writing Project, her teaching at the 6-12 level as well as the undergraduate and graduate level, Urbanski has witnessed the power shift into the hands of the writer when they are encouraged and trusted to tell their stories with their words. Related Shows Untangling Middle School Reform

Jennifer Baker is a publishing professional of 20 years, the creator/host of the Minorities in Publishing podcast, a faculty member of the MFA program in Creative Nonfiction at Bay Path University, and a writing consultant at Baruch College. Formerly a contributing editor to Electric Literature, she received a 2017 NYSCA/NYFA Fellowship and a Queens Council on the Arts New Work Grant for Nonfiction Literature. Her essay "What We Aren't (or the Ongoing Divide)" was listed as a Notable Essay in The Best American Essays 2018. In 2019, she was named Publishers Weekly Superstar for her contributions to inclusion and representation in publishing. Jennifer is also the editor of the all PoC-short story anthology Everyday People: The Color of Life (Atria Books, 2018) and the author of the YA novel Forgive Me Not (Nancy Paulsen Books, 2023). She has volunteered with organizations such as We Need Diverse Books and I, Too Arts Collective, and spoken widely on topics of inclusion, the craft of writing/editing, podcasting, and the inner-workings of the publishing industry. Her fiction, nonfiction, and criticism has appeared in various print and online publications. Lauren Donovan is a teacher in Kansas City, Missouri, and has taught secondary English in both the middle and high school settings for nine years. She is also a student at the University of Kansas in an educational leadership doctorate program. She loves sharing her passion for reading and writing with her students. She enjoys to read and talk about realistic fiction as well as education reform nonfiction.

Patricia Park is a tenured professor of creative writing at American University, a Fulbright Scholar in Creative Arts, an Edith Wharton Writer-in-Residence, and a Jerome Hill Artist Fellow. She is the author of the YA novel, Imposter Syndrome and Other Confessions of Alejandra Kim, and the adult novel, Re Jane, a retelling of Jane Eyre named New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, winner of an American Library Association Award, an NPR Fresh Air pick, and others. She’s written for the New York Times, New Yorker, The Guardian, and others. Her new YA novel, What’s Eating Jackie Oh? is forthcoming in April 2024. Joanna Dalton is in her senior year at Fairfield University, where she is passionately pursuing her studies as an English major, accompanied with minors in elementary and special education. Her academic journey will culminate with a master's degree in Elementary Education. Joanna is also a dedicated substitute teacher at an elementary school. About The Write Time NWP Radio, in partnership with the Connecticut Writing Project at Fairfield and Penguin Random House Books, launched a special series in 2020 called “The Write Time” where writing teachers from across the NWP Network interview young-adult and children’s authors about their books, their composing processes, and writers’ craft. View the full archive at https://teach.nwp.org/series/the-write-time/

Join us for an engaging discussion featuring David and Susan Schwartz, authors of The Joy of Costco: A Treasure Hunt from A-Z. We'll be diving into their writing process and exploring why Costco holds a special place in their hearts. It's a great opportunity to learn more about the book and gain insights into their unique perspective on Costco and their creative journey.

Civics for the World to Come is a call to action, encouraging us all to reimagine our roles as educators and shift the purpose of schooling together. Providing a framework with suggestions for dialogue along with case studies from the classroom, this book is offered as a resource for teachers to start this journey, pragmatically but urgently. Listen to this NWP Radio interview with Drs. Nicole Mirra and Antero Garcia about their new book, Civics for the World to Come: Committing to Democracy in Every Classroom.

Dr. Muhammad is an Associate Professor of Literacy, Language, and Culture at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and she has previously served as a classroom teacher, literacy specialist, school district administrator, curriculum director, and school board president. She studies Black historical excellence in education, intending to reframe curriculum and instruction today. Dr. Muhammad’s scholarship has appeared in leading academic journals and books. She has also received numerous national awards and is the author of the best-selling book, Cultivating Genius: An Equity Model for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy. She also co-authored Black girls’ literacies: An Edited Volume. Her newest book, Unearthing Joy, is the sequel to Cultivating Genius and provides a practical guide for putting culturally and historically responsive education into curricular practice. Dr. Muhammad is interviewed by Stacey Joy, a National Board Certified Teacher, Google Certified Educator, and 2013 L.A. County Teacher of the Year. Stacey has taught elementary school for 38 years in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Currently, she teaches 5th grade at Baldwin Hills Pilot and Gifted Magnet School. In addition to cultivating the genius and joy in her Joyteam scholars, she also mentors novice teachers and is a teacher-leader in her school district. Stacey is a UCLA Writing Project fellow and a dedicated writer with Dr. Sarah Donovan’s community of teacher-poets at Ethical ELA. Stacey is a self-published poet and she has poems published in various anthologies: Out of Anonymity, Savant Poetry Anthologies, Teacher Poets: Writing to Bridge the Distance, and Rhythm and Rhyme: Poems for Student Athletes. Stacey is a proud mom of two adults, Kenneth and Noelle.

This episode of The Write Time features Don P. Hooper, a writer and filmmaker of Jamaican heritage (and a programmer in a former life). His short story “Got Me a Jet Pack” is part of the New York Times bestselling anthology Black Boy Joy. His directing work has been featured in the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival, the NY TV Film Festival (award winner), the New York City Horror Film Festival, the New Jersey Horror Con and Film Festival (award winner), and more. He does voice-over in video games and documentaries. True True is his debut novel. Don is interviewed by Abimbola Cole Kai-Lewis who is an Ethnomusicologist and educator with the New York City Department of Education and an adjunct assistant professor at York College–City University of New York.

NWP’s The Write Time will “Write Out” this month by welcoming poet and author Nikki Grimes discussing her new children’s book, A Walk in the Woods. She is interviewed by elementary school teacher and poet Willeena Booker and Park Ranger Maryann Zujewski. New York Times bestselling author Nikki Grimes is the recipient of the 2022 CSK Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award, the ALAN Award for significant contributions to young adult literature, the Children's Literature Legacy Medal, and the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. The author of Coretta Scott King Award-winner Bronx Masquerade, and five Coretta Scott King Author Honors, her most recent titles include the YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults title Between the Lines, companion to Bronx Masquerade, NCTE Notable Words With Wings, the much acclaimed Garvey's Choice, One Last Word, Printz Honor and Sibert Honor Ordinary Hazards, ALA Notables Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance and Southwest Sunrise, Kirkus Best Books Bedtime for Sweet Creatures and Playtime for Restless Rascals, and Kamala Harris: Rooted in Justice. Ms. Grimes lives in Corona, California. Willeena Booker is an inspiring educator, powerful poet, and passionate advocate of social justice. Willeena's poetry celebrates Black Identity, diversity, and equality. Willeena writes poetry for adults as well as young readers and loves using her poetry as a catalyst for change. Maryann Zujewski has worked for the National Park Service for over 30 years. She is currently the Education Program Manager for the Northeast Region of the National Park Service providing support and assistance to the 83 parks in states from Maine to Virginia in their efforts to provide equitable and inclusive place-based learning experiences.

Write Out, a program of the National Writing Project and the National Park Service, welcomes the poet-Ranger team of the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument: Alabama State Poet Laureate Ashley Jones, Magic City Festival Earth Poet Nabila Lovelace, and Park Ranger Kat Gardiner. They share their work with youth and other community members exploring the intersections of poetry, prose, and place. Related links/resources: Podcast - Birmingham Civil Rights National MonumentThe Watsons Go to BirminghamMagic City Poetry Festivalne-Way Ticket” by Langston Hughes (PDF)Junior Ranger Booklet (PDF) For more information, inspirations, and prompts for writing outside, visit http://writeout.nwp.org/.

Don’t miss this episode of The Write Time featuring Kate Dickerson, executive director of the Maine Discovery Museum, interviewing Meghan Wilson Duff, about their children’s book, How Are You, Verity? in which Verity, a neurodivergent child with a love for sea creatures, interacts with neighbors to discover the true meaning behind greetings and salutations. Like many authors interviewed on The Write Time, Duff says they wanted to make the book they wish they’d had when they were a child. The show contains references to many more books with neurodivergent characters written by neurodivergent writers.

Luma Mufleh is an activist, twice-published author, entrepreneur, coach, and thought leader in refugee and English Language Learner Education. As an asylee, as well as daughter and granddaughter of Syrian refugees, Luma continues to draw on her personal experiences to fuel her passion for empowering refugees and immigrant children through education. In 2006, she founded Fugees Family, the only network of schools in the U.S. dedicated to refugee and immigrant education. Luma’s work is not only changing the lives of children and families, but also shifting the narrative around refugees from one of fear to one of courage and resilience. Her TED Talk on educational justice has been viewed more than 1.8 million times and she is the author of two books, 2022's Learning America: One Woman's Fight for Educational Justice for Refugee Children and the recently released memoir From Here. Connecticut Writing Project at Fairfield teacher-consultants William King and Jessica Baldizon conduct the interview.

In this NWP Radio episode we are joined by Troy Hicks and Jill Runstrom of the Chippewa River Writing Project as they discuss their new book Literacies Before Technologies: Making Digital Tools Matter for Middle Grades Learners. In this book, recently published by NCTE as part of their Principles in Practice series, Jill and Troy—alongside several other colleagues—share their classroom practices as they inquiry into the Beliefs for Integrating Technology into the English Language Arts Classroom. Their stories start during the 2020-21 school year and extend into the ways they continue to consider literacies alongside (but always before) technologies. Related Links Beliefs Statement (BIT-ELA)https://hickstro.org/ncte-middle-grades-tech/

Join us for a fascinating conversation with Aaron Pyne, creator of Inner Realms Journey, a fantasy-themed adventure game in which participants embark on a series of audio-guided meditative experiences. If you can imagine the place where role-playing games, meditation, and mindfulness meet for fun and learning, you might be close to Inner Realms Journey. Come hear all about it.

Janae Marks is the New York Times bestselling author of middle-grade novels, From the Desk of Zoe Washington, A Soft Place to Land, and On Air with Zoe Washington. She has an MFA in Writing for Children from The New School, and lives in Connecticut with her husband, daughter, and miniature schnauzer named Cookie. Terri Fredrick is a Professor of English and Writing Center Director at Eastern Illinois University. She is also the director of the Eastern Illinois Writing Project. She and her daughter have read three of Janae Marks's novels together. Tesla, Terri’s daughter, is a 7th-grade student in Champaign Illinois. She enjoys theater, basketball, dance, and track. She loves Janae Marks's books.