Take Part in the National Day on Writing
October 20, 2009
Writing is a daily practice for millions of Americans. But few notice how integral writing has become to daily life in the 21st century.
To draw attention to the remarkable variety of writing we engage in and help make writers from all walks of life aware of their craft, NCTE is working to establish October 20, 2009, as the National Day on Writing.
To celebrate composition in all its forms, we are inviting diverse participants --students, teachers, parents, grandparents, service and industrial workers, managers, business owners, legislators, retirees and many more -- to submit a piece of writing to the National Gallery of Writing.
The National Gallery will be a digital archive of samples that exhibit how and why Americans are writing every day, accessible to all through a free, searchable website. Writers’ pieces will be accompanied by
- brief descriptive entries (meta-data) describing who the writer is,
- the genre of writing represented, and
- why s/he selected this particular piece to submit to the Gallery.
We will build the archive of writing submissions in the Gallery throughout 2009, before sharing it with the nation on the National Day on Writing.
At the Center of This Initiative Are NCTE Members
By sharing our knowledge about writing, and organizing participating groups in our schools and/or communities, we can transform the public’s understanding of writing and the role it plays in society today.
There are two major ways you can take part in this initiative:
1. Submit a “resource piece” that can help non-educators write or understand writing; these could include
- compelling invitations to write for a particular purpose,
- tips on the practice of different genres of writing, or
- reflections on the significance of functional, everyday texts.
2. Organize a group of students or community members to create their own “hall” or exhibition in the National Gallery.
Resource Pieces Are Welcome Now
Just email your resource piece or idea to the National Day on Writing. NCTE will acknowledge your contribution, and after a brief peer review, post it on the National Gallery submission site this spring. Guidelines for organizing and registering a group will be available by late February or early March on this Web page or simply email NCTE and staff will send you these guidelines as soon as they are released. Thanks for providing a rich public service resource through creating resources or enrolling groups for the National Day on Writing celebration.