news & events

MWP TC Ann Marie Mershon Publishes Another Book
Istanbul's Bazaar Quarter: Backstreet Walking Tours

The walks in this book will lead you to an enchanted world beyond the noisy hurly burly of Istanbul's Covered Bazaar. Ann Marie Mershon and Edda Renker Weissenbacher show you ancient caravan inns, hidden courtyards and gardens, the small workshops that still produce fine pieces in gold, silver, and copper along with the fascinating people who do the work. Let's face it, the normal tourist trip to the souk is a nightmare of touts, tacky goods and astronomical prices. Follow these walks and you will come away with the real Bazaar Quarter, not the tourist trap, magical right down to the old Ottoman birdhouses up under the eves. I bought the book before going to Istanbul and looked up Ann Marie Mershon when I got there. The guide is the next best thing to walking with her in person. No one has done such justice to the Quarter since John Freely's Strolling Through Istanbul. Trust them both and you'll be in very good hands.

Review from Tom's Bookhouse

This fall marks the beginning of our 20th year as a site for the National Writing Project. Join us at this year's workshop as we celebrate almost two decades of promoting student literacy through supporting teachers as writers and leaders.

Improving Student Writing through Teacher Leadership

Date: Wednesday, October 7th, 2009
Place: Continuing Education & Conference Center
(U of MN, St. Paul Campus)

Registration Fee: $50 (includes continental breakfast, lunch, & parking)

Attending as a special guest this year, we will have Mary Ann Smith, National Writing Project Director of Government Relations and Public Affairs. We look forward to hearing about her experiences in Washington, DC, as she works with teachers, administrators, and students from across the nation.

To register for the workshop, send email RSVP to mwp@umn.edu and send workshop fee to: MWP, 10 Nicholson Hall, 216 Pillsbury Drive SE Minneapolis, MN 55455

Author and illustrator Lauren Stringer will talk with teachers at this year's retreat for the 19th Invitational Summer Institute on Thursday, June 25th, 2009. Stringer has written and illustrated several children's books including Winter is the Warmest Season, Red Rubber Boot Day, Mud, and her most recent book, Snow, authored by Cynthia Rylant. Visit Lauren Stringer's website to explore more of her work.

Registration:

The MWP event in June 2009 is open to the new summer fellows participating in the summer institute and to any other MWP TCs wanting to attend. The cost of this event is $25 and includes lunch, speaker, and access to grounds at Mt. Olivet Retreat Center to walk, hike, and write. To register, please email mwp@umn.edu stating your name and interest in coming. You can pay the registration fee upon arrival.

Visit the Mt. Olivet website for more information on the site, its trails, services, and directions. The one minute video tour is quite stunning!

Selective Summer Institute 2008 participants will have their second and final follow-up gathering at an overnight retreat on Friday and Saturday, February 27 and 28, at the Minnesota Humanities Center in St. Paul. The retreat will begin at about 7 pm on Friday and end at 1 pm on Saturday. All food and lodging will be covered.

The overnight gathering will be a time for catching up with each other in a more intimate setting while also sharing how the summer institute experience has played out in the classroom.

More information about the retreat will be sent to participants over email.

Using Digital Writing to Improve Students' Literacy Skills in the Secondary Classroom

Participants learned how to make the Web 2.0 accessible and practical for them and their students. Presenter Elizabeth Boeser uses blogs, wikis and social networks to augment regular instruction in a writing course where students work through face-to-face instruction and in an online environment. Teachers learned hands-on how:

• Blogs can replace traditional journals
• Wikis work as study guides, book projects & collaborative writing spaces.
• Ning social networks can be used for online role-play debate.
• iMovie HD can be used for video composition (if time permits)

When: January 14th, 2009 -- 9:00-3:00pm (8:30 coffee and bagels)
Where: Center for Writing computer Lab, 15 Nicholson Hall, U of MN campus
How much: $75 (includes parking and lunch)

Registration Deadline: January 5, 2009

Space was limited to 24 participants and registration was required.

Like many of us, MWP TC Sean Fleming, who teaches at the Bruce F. Vento School, has been busy balancing the life of both a teacher and a writer. Luckily for Sean, his writing efforts have received local acclaim with a "permanent presence."

Read some of the sidewalk poetry for yourself (Sean is featured on page 16 of poems):

Everyday Poems for City Sidewalks

Also, check out the recent WCCO & Christian Science Monitor coverage of this sidewalk poetry project and interview with Sean.

St. Paul Poet gets Poem Set in Sidewalk

Julie Landsman spoke at our Second Annual Renewal/Reunion Workshop on Wednesday, October 1st, 2008.

Julie Landsman, author of A White Teacher Talks About Race, teaches at Carleton College and often speaks on issues related to race, poverty and the achievement gap. To read more about Julie Landsman's work, visit the links below.

Confronting the racism of low expectations

A white teacher's perspective on racism in the classroom

The October Renewal/Reunion Workshop offered participants a day of writing, reconnecting, and sharing ideas.