At last, I can reveal the cover of Rethinking Creative Writing in Higher Education: Programs and Practices that Work.

Yes, I’m biased but I think it’s absolutely lovely:

My UK publishers at Professional and Higher, Anthony and Karen Haynes report that they have appointments with American publishers at the London Book Fair next week so keep your fingers crossed.  If you recall, a giant cloud of ash intercepted the appearance of American publishers at the London Book Fair last year.

The London Book Fair.  Doesn’t that sound great?  I want to go someday just for fun.  Guess I’ll have to add it to the bucket listt.

In other news, it’s been a strange week in Wordamour-land.  She returned from DC only to somehow contract a mysterious viral inner ear infection whose major symptom is wicked vertigo.   While she is improving she will be relieved when the world stops spinning. . .completely and in the meantime spends long periods of time trying not to make any sudden moves.

Blogging for NWP continues (see previous post) and spring has sprung in Arkansas.  This means, among other things, the annual Arkansas Literary Festival this weekend.  Wordamour is really jonesing to go, especially to support UCA peeps Robin Becker, Mark Spitzer, et al, but suspects the viral thing will also have its say on that matter.  We will just have to see.

Bye y’all,

SV

Our goal is to reach 1,000 blog posts by April 8th to raise awareness about federal funding cuts to the National Writing Project.

Your story about what NWP has meant to you counts!  We NEED you to tell your story.  NWP has created a Posterous group blog as another way for people to participate and reach the 1,000 post goal.

ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS WRITE AN EMAIL.

Compose an email. The address for the email is

[email protected]

The subject line should be for the headline you want for the post.

Whatever you type into the body of the message will be the body of your post. Tell your story here about what the writing project has meant to you as a teacher, as a person.  Or tell your story about what it has done for your students.

Sign the email with your name and writing project site.

To view the blog go to http://blog4nwp.posterous.com (no www in the address).

So the winner of the giveway, for writing to Congress to save NWP is. . .

Shauna Sanders!!!!

Congratulations, Shauna.

You’ll be receiving your signed copy of The Architect of Flowers in a few weeks.

I’m in DC this weekend lobbying along with hundreds of fellow teacher-leaders to try to secure the NWP’s footing on the national landscape.   Footing that has slipped as a result of the current Congress’ warpath on education.

Our visits to the hill yesterday were basically productive; we had some wonderful discussions with Senator John Boozman (such a gracious man), Mia Petrini, Senator Mark Pryor’s education aide, and Reps. Tim Griffin and Rick Crawford about how they could support the National Writing Project and the National Writing Projects of Arkansas.

But I do want to share a story.  There has been a lot of posturing on the hill about how these budget cuts are essential to “save this country” from financial ruin.  The powers that be patiently explained to us that the  belt tightening that cinches literacy programs and cuts deeply and disproportionately into education are necessary evils.

Yesterday, however, we talked to a cab driver who said he had enjoyed working the hill for years because our lawmakers took a lot of cabs and always asked him his opinions on current issues under debate.  Things had changed since January though, he told us.  He hadn’t gotten to know many of the members of this new Congress.

Why is that? we wanted to know.

“Don’t see em,” he told us.  “They all take limos.”

I guess some belts are tighter than others.

Bye y’all.

SV

You’ve read my numerous posts about the National Writing Project on this blog, about the many legislative crises we’ve had to weather in the last year.  Well, now the worst has happened: the NWP, along with a long list of high-quality national literacy programs, was defunded in the stopgap budget.  That’s right, defunded.  Zeroed out.  Destroyed.

This blog post joins one of the hundreds (I hope) of blog posts heard round the world in the Blogging for NWP weekend (March 18-20) to remedy this perilous situation.

If we don’t rally the country to put pressure on Congress to get us back into the budget, the single best professional development support organization for teachers, the single best way to raise a nation of strong writers and readers in the twenty first century will cease to exist on a national level.  That’s over twenty years of national investment, hundreds of millions of dollars, down the tubes, by the way.

But you can help.  In the process, you will gain immeasurable karma and good feeling and you will also be entered into a drawing to win a signed copy of my friend, Bill Lychack’s brand new story collection, The Architect of Flowers (more about Bill and the book below).

So: here are some links that will tell you exactly what you need to do to help  the NWPWorks page, which includes sample letter templates and easy ways to contact your legislators and the NCTE Action Alert page.  The latter is so easy–type in your zip code and presto, you get an email you can modify and send to your congressperson–it’s all ready to go addressed and everything.

It’s fairly simple, will take very little of your time and has the potential to do so much good.  Send me a copy of the letter or send me confirmation of receipt–any kind of proof and I will enter you in a drawing for signed copy of this dazzling new collection of stories.  Moreover, if you lobby congress AND write your own blog post about the effort as part of blogging for NWP this weekend, you’ll get an extra 3 entries!

The drawing will take place March 31, to coincide with the NWP’s Advocacy day on Capitol Hill.

The Architect of Flowers will be released March 23, so the lucky winner of this signed copy will be one of the first to receive this second book by one of the twenty-first century’s most important new writers.

The author of the critically acclaimed debut novel, The Wasp Eater, William Lychack’s newest collection, The Architect of Flowers, was selected for the Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers list for the Summer 2011 season.  For more information on Bill, including news about his current book tour and excerpts of his stunning writing, look to www.lychack.com.  Thanks, Bill, for helping us out!

Bye for now y’all,

SV

So the second half of our conversation is up on Fiction Writer’s Review.  Check it out here, think on it, comment, pass it on. . .

It would be great if this conversation went viral.

In tandem, I also offer Cathy Day’s blog post, Celebrating and Celebretizing Teaching Creative Writing.  Wise words indeed.

Happy Reading!

Bye y’all,

SV

One of my favorite publications.  Cathy Day, Anna Leahy and I have been working on this conversation essay on teaching creative writing since the fall and FWR decided to publish it to take advantage of AWP buzz.  That and the fact that Cathy Day’s essay over at the Millions has been quite buzz-worthy itself in the last few weeks.

FWR made it look great, check it out here.

Bye y’all

SV