Writing Contest
Recognize young writers of promise . . .
Open young minds to see stories and histories in their own communities . . .
The Kennesaw Mountain Writing Project (KMWP) last year established a contest for young writers to honor the memory of our late friend, teacher Leslie Walker. Leslie's special gift was to help even her most reluctant writing students to find their writing "voices."
To continue Leslie's work, we invite teachers to prompt student writing that will ask them to experiment with writing in another person's "voice," and to submit up to twenty of the most interesting pieces to our contest. Such writing may not be the most polished, and it may come from students who do not think of themselves as good writers.
We're looking for writing that imagines the thoughts, feelings, and sensations of a character who may see life -- and speak -- very differently from the young writer. For instance, teachers might ask students to enter imaginatively into an old photograph of a parent in childhood, or to write the thoughts of someone they know only by sight in the community. What happens in the pieces may be factual, imagined, or a combination of both.
This open-ended topic might serve teachers across the curriculum. Science teachers might ask students to use what they know about the lives of certain animals to write from one animal's perspective. A Social Studies teacher might ask students to write the unspoken thoughts of a figure in History or in the news. Interviewing someone about their lives might be part of the process.
By mid-September, we will send out links to contest information and forms that will be posted at the KMWP's web site, www.KWMP.org, along with links to suggestions that will help teachers to prepare their students. If you have some suggestions of your own, or questions in advance of the official announcement, please address an email to scott@smootpage.com
MORE INFORMATION WILL BE FORTHCOMING!