NCTE November: NWP Brunch and Beyond By Mary Buckelew and Janice Ewing

Whether attending or facilitating sessions, listening to the keynote speakers, or catching up with familiar colleagues and connecting with new ones, we always look forward to and enjoy the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and the National Writing Project (NWP) combined conferences.

This year, we have a unique opportunity. Elyse Eidman-Aadahl extended an invitation for us to present at the NWP Brunch on Sunday morning. We were humbled by this invitation but gladly accepted it. Elyse was one of the advance reviewers of our book Action Research for English Language Arts Teachers: Invitation to Inquiry (Routledge, 2019). Her view was that the thinking and work that went into this book would be a good fit for the theme of this year’s conference – Spirited Inquiry. Our overall focus for the brunch presentation is connecting and highlighting some of the principles and practices of the National Writing Project with action research as we present it in our book. We will focus on the inquiry stance, reflection, collaboration, and publication.

It seems only fitting that we have invited several PAWLP fellows and friends to contribute to the NWP brunch presentation. Our book was inspired by their thinking at Continuity sessions, on the PAWLP Blog, on Twitter and in the many venues in which Writing Project folks interact to write, collaborate, reflect, and publish – all to improve their practices and the literacy lives of their students!

While we look forward to all of the conversations and learning the NCTE/NWP conference will inspire –we also look forward to embracing another important “R” — relaxation. Whether a communal meal or an opportunity to get to know our host city better, our community extends beyond the classroom. Here’s a memory from Atlanta — looking forward to more from Baltimore!